Al Ittihad vs Al Hazem – News and Probable Lineups

Al Ittihad will host Al Hazem at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Friday for a matchday 27 encounter in the Saudi Pro League.

The home side is positioned sixth in the standings with 42 points accrued from 26 matches, while Al Hazem sits 10th with 31 points from the same number of games.

Match overview

Al Ittihad has faced a challenging title defence in the Saudi Pro League, having won the championship in 2024-25 with a notable 83 points and an eight-point margin over their closest rivals.

After a promising start to their campaign, winning their opening three matches, the team struggled across other competitions, notably falling in the Super Cup semi-final and the first round of the AFC Champions League.

These disappointing results, coupled with a defeat to Al Nassr in matchday four, led to Lauren Blanc’s exit, and Sergio Conceicao was appointed as his successor.

However, Conceicao has not yet reversed Al Ittihad’s fortunes, managing only 16 victories, six draws, and nine losses from his 31 matches in charge.

The club has particularly struggled in recent times, suffering consecutive defeats in the league, dropping them to sixth place, and they were eliminated from the King’s Cup semi-finals by Al Kholood last time they played.

Desperate to rebound and regain their form, especially with an upcoming AFC Champions League round of 16 clash against Al Wahda, Al Ittihad will aim to secure all three points against Al Hazem on Friday.

Contrastingly, Al Hazem, the visiting team on Friday, is enjoying a solid season, currently lying 10th in the league table during their return to the Saudi Pro League.

They earned promotion last term by winning the First Division playoffs, and have performed well since their return.

Under the management of Jalel Kadri, Al Hazem has recorded eight wins, seven draws, and 11 losses from 26 league matches, placing them comfortably 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

With hopes of finishing as high as possible in the standings, Al Hazem will be eager to break their winless streak against Al Ittihad.

They have not claimed victory in this matchup since October 2019, where they won 2-1, with three draws and three losses in the following six encounters.

Team News

With Karim Benzema having departed for Al Hilal, Steven Bergwijn has emerged as Al Ittihad’s leading scorer with five goals, and after finding the net in their recent King’s Cup match, the hosts will be counting on him to deliver once again.

Bergwijn is expected to be supported in attack by Moussa Diaby, Houssem Aouar, and Youssef En-Nesyri, while captain Fabinho may team up with Faisal Al-Ghamdi in midfield.

On the other hand, following their 2-1 victory over Al Kholood in their previous game, Kadri might retain a similar lineup for this encounter.

Veteran striker Omar Al Somah is likely to lead the attack, with Fabio Martins playing just behind him.

Al Ittihad probable starting XI:

Rajkovic; Shanqeeti, Pereira, Kadesh, Mitaj; Fabinho, Al-Ghamdi; Aouar, Bergwijn, Diaby; En-Nesyri

Al Hazem probable starting XI:

Zaied; Rashed, Al-Dakheel, Boutouil, Al-Shamrani; Loreintz, Bah; Mokwana, Martins, Al-Habashi; Al Somah

While Al Ittihad may be experiencing a disappointing season, the hosts have dominated this matchup historically and certainly possess the ability to secure a victory.