Al Ittihad vs NEOM SC – News and Probable Lineups

On Wednesday, Al Ittihad will host NEOM SC at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in a fixture of the Saudi Pro League.

The home side is currently ranked sixth in the league with 45 points from 27 matches, whereas the visitors occupy the eighth position with 36 points from the same number of games.

Match overview

Al Ittihad has had a rather unremarkable 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season, finding themselves in sixth place after 27 fixtures.

The People’s Club has achieved 13 victories, six draws, and faced eight losses in their league outings, accumulating a total of 45 points.

Sergio Conceicao’s squad is thus trailing a significant 20 points behind the Champions League Elite qualifying spots, with only seven matches left in the season.

While the chances of breaking into the top three are quite limited, Conceicao will aim for a strong finish to the season to keep hopes alive.

Confidence may be bolstered by their recent 1-0 victory against Al Hazem, which snapped a three-match winless streak, and they also defeated NEOM comfortably with a score of 3-1 earlier in the season.

Similarly, NEOM ended their winless spell in their most recent match, securing a 1-0 victory over Al Fayha, breaking a streak of four games without a win.

This victory marked their 10th win of the season in the Saudi Pro League, and with six draws and 11 defeats, Christophe Galtier’s team has gathered 36 points from 27 matches.

NEOM will certainly be satisfied with their performance this season, as it marks their first year in the top division after gaining promotion by winning the Saudi First Division last year.

Galtier will continue to push for more success before the season concludes, aiming for a high finish in the table. Achieving a win against the reigning champions would be a notable achievement in their inaugural top-flight campaign.

Team News

Al Ittihad likely will be without Saad Al-Mousa due to an ankle injury, and Moussa Diaby is out due to suspension after receiving a red card in the previous match.

Houssem Aouar is expected to step into the lineup in place of Diaby, joining Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Steven Bergwijn, and Youssef En-Nesyri in the attacking roles.

On the other side, Marcin Bulka remains sidelined because of a cruciate ligament injury, leaving Luis Maximiano as the starting goalkeeper for NEOM.

Further up the pitch, Alexandre Lacazette has netted 11 times in 27 league games, and the visitors will be counting on the forward to make an impact again in this match.

Al Ittihad probable starting XI:

Rajkovic; Shanqeeti, Simic, Pereira, Kadesh; Aouar, Fabinho, F Al-Ghamdi, A Al-Ghamdi; Bergwijn, En-Nesyri

NEOM SC probable starting XI:

Maximiano; Al-Burayk, Hegazy, Zeze, Hawsawi; Al-Hejji, Doucoure, Kone, Benrahma; Rodriguez, Lacazette

Although Al Ittihad’s season has not met expectations, they still enter this match as the stronger side and are favored to secure all three points.