Al Fateh v Al Nassr preview
Al-Nassr can cut back Al-Hilal’s lead on the high of the Saudi Professional League to some extent once they go to Al-Fateh on Saturday in a sport that appears set to be dominated by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo for the away facet.
5-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo is prone to return for the primary time in 4 matches, having signalled his discontent on the membership’s lack of switch exercise earlier than the Saudi switch window closed.
Head coach Jorge Jesus’s future additionally stays doubtful, with the Portuguese out of contract on the finish of the season and lacking quite a few press conferences because the saga started.
If Ronaldo is to return in model, the file scorer in males’s footballing historical past is prone to have to assist break down an Al-Fateh facet in a low block with a knack for counter-attacking successfully.
Al-Fateh even have a Portuguese chief in Jose Gomes, whose facet suffered a 9-0 defeat in his second match in cost to Jesus’s Al-Hilal in 2024.
Whereas that is still the heaviest defeat of Gomes’ managerial profession, Al-Fateh have a decent file this season of six wins and eight defeats from 20 league matches, together with a 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal in November.
They’re winless in six matches however drew their most up-to-date at fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah on February 7, when winger Matias Vargas scored his sixth league purpose of the marketing campaign to take his tally to eight total.
A shock victory would raise Al-Fateh above Al-Khaleej to ninth and maintain Al-Nassr third, a degree behind Al-Ahli.
Al Fateh v Al Nassr workforce information
Mourad Batna has scored 4 targets this season however the Al-Fateh winger has not featured since sustaining an damage of their 1–1 draw at dwelling to Al Hazem on February 1.
That might give 21-year-old Wesley Delgado an opportunity to shine, whereas 34-year-old former Morocco centre-back or defensive midfielder Marwane Saadane could possibly be essential if the underdogs are to earn a primary clear sheet in eight matches.
Striker Fahad Al-Zubaidi is on mortgage from Al-Nassr however is predicted to play.
Attacking midfielder Sami Al-Najei and ahead Saad Haqawi are doubts for Al-Nassr, for whom Ronaldo has scored 17 league targets this season.
That places the 41-year-old third in that respect behind Al-Qadsiah’s Julian Quinones (18) and former England striker Ivan Toney (19), of Al-Ahli.
Influential defender Mohamed Simakan has returned to full health.
Al Fateh v Al Nassr predicted line ups
Al Fateh beginning XI: Fernando Pacheco, Saeed Baattia, Jorge Fernandes, Marwane Saadane, Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, Zaydou Youssouf, Naif Masoud, Fahad Al-Zubaidi, Sofiane Bendebka, Wesley Delgado, Matias Vargas
Al Nassr beginning XI: Bento, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Mohamed Simakan, Inigo Martinez, Salem Al-Najdi, Marcelo Brozovic, Angelo Gabriel, Kingsley Coman, Joao Felix, Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo
The right way to watch Al Fateh v Al Nassr: TV channel, dwell on-line stream
Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:30 GMT (12:30 ET / 09:30 PT). Within the UK, the Saudi top-flight broadcast channel is the Saudi Pro League YouTube channel.
Within the US, FOX Sports activities are the Saudi Professional League dwell broadcasters.
Al Fateh v Al Nassr stats
- Al-Fateh have didn’t win eight of their final 9 dwelling video games in opposition to Al-Nassr
- Their whole of 26 targets on this season’s division is a mean of 1.3 per sport
- On common, Al-Fateh have been conceding a mean of virtually two targets per league dwelling sport in 2025/26
- That offers them the Fifteenth-best dwelling defensive file within the division
- At a mean of 12.6 fouls suffered per match, Al-Fateh are probably the most fouled workforce within the division
- Al-Nassr have received 14 of the 23 conferences between the groups, shedding 3 times
- They’ve received 4 of the final 5 editions of the fixture
- At a mean of two.5 targets per league sport, Al-Nassr have totalled 51 on this season’s high flight
- With the second-best away file within the division, Al-Nassr are averaging greater than two targets per sport on the highway
- They’ve allowed the bottom variety of pictures within the league, conceding a mean of solely 6.7 makes an attempt per match
- Ronaldo has scored in his final 4 consecutive appearances in opposition to Al-Fateh, together with a hat-trick in 2023
- In whole, Ronaldo has eight targets in six video games in opposition to them
- Joao Felix scored a hat-trick as Al-Nassr received the reverse fixture 5-1 in October, joined on the scoresheet by Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman
- Sofiane Bendebka replied in that sport, with Ronaldo lacking a penalty and Sadio Mane offering two assists
