Saudi League 2025-2026: Al Nassr-Al Ahli, the likely lineups.
Starting at 8 p.m. Italian time at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh: Al Nassr faces the match with Al Ahli, valid for the 30th day of the Saudi League, with the clear intention of mortgaging the title. The leaders, fresh off an impressive run of nineteen consecutive victories in all competitions, boast an eight-point margin over their pursuers thanks to record defensive solidity, with only twenty-one goals conceded, and the most prolific attack in the tournament.
Jorge Jesus must, however, manage a less than ideal nursing situation, having to do without the injured Mubarak Al Buainain and Reghed Najjar, while Sami Al-Najei remains in high doubt after the long layoff that began last September. Despite these defections, the Portuguese coach will rely on the experience of Marcelo Brozovic and Abdullah Al-Khaibari in the box to support the attacking pair of Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix, who are ready to strike at a facility where they have won almost every match of the season. On the flanks, the dangerous Coman and Mane.
Al Ahli come to enemy soil with the prestige of those who have just lifted the AFC Champions League to the sky for the second consecutive time, a triumph that has given morale and awareness to Matthias Jaissle’s troop. Third in the standings with sixty-six points, the green-and-whites have already shown they can overcome the league leaders in the first leg and are aiming to repeat the feat by relying on the freshness of an almost full squad, except for the absent Ali Majrashi blocked by a hamstring problem.
The tactical structure will rest on the security of Edouard Mendy between the posts and the physicality of the central pair Demiral-Ibanez, tasked with containing the home stars. In midfield, the breaking and restarting work of Frank Kessie and Valentin Atangana will be crucial, necessary to trigger Riyad Mahrez’s creativity on the right flank and serve Ivan Toney, a relentless offensive terminal who, with his twenty-seven centers in the season, represents the number one threat to the leader’s ambitions.
Probable Formations
Al Nassr (4-4-2): Bento; Boushal, Simakan, Alamri, Martinez; Coman, Brozovic, Al-Khaibari, Mane; Felix, Ronaldo
Al Ahli (4-2-3-1): Mendy; Al Hawsawi, Ibanez, Demiral, Hamed; Kessie, Atangana; Galeno, Millot, Mahrez; Toney
