Al Ittihad VS Al-Nassr live preview Saudi Pro League

A lapse in discipline proved costly for Al Ittihad once again last Saturday, marking their consecutive league defeats for the first time since May 2022 (two). The defeat also marked their first home loss in the domestic season, and notably, their first league loss in Jeddah since Al-Hilal secured a 3-1 victory on matchday 27 in the 2021-22 season.The Jeddah-based club has faced defensive challenges recently, conceding three or more goals in three of their last four competitive fixtures. As they pass the midway point of the domestic campaign, Al Ittihad finds themselves trailing nine points behind Al-Ahli for the third spot, securing a place in the AFC Champions League Elite for the next season.Under the management of Marcelo Gallardo, Al Ittihad has managed just one victory in four Saudi Pro League matches since the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo. The lone triumph for the Argentine came at home at the end of November, securing a 4-2 victory against Al-Khaleej.In their recent records against Al-Nassr, Al Ittihad boasts an unbeaten streak in their last six competitive home games, clinching victories in the last three domestic encounters with a combined scoreline of 7-1.

After a challenging start to the month with a 3-0 defeat in the Riyadh Derby against bitter rivals Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr appears to have found their stride, securing two consecutive domestic victories with an impressive combined scoreline of 7-2.As they approach matchday 18 of their Pro League campaign, Luis Castro's team currently sits 10 points behind Al-Hilal for the top spot, but they have a game in hand that could potentially narrow the gap.Accumulating 40 points after 17 domestic encounters, Al-Nassr is slightly behind their position from the same stage last season, having suffered two additional losses (three) in the 2023-24 season compared to the 2022-23 season.Despite boasting one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of world football, Luis Castro's squad has seen contributions from various sources. Eleven different players have found the back of the net at least once in the competition, with two players reaching double-digit goal tallies.Remarkably, Al-Nassr has been kept off the scoresheet in only two domestic matches this season, maintaining an average of over 2.5 goals per game.Their struggles have primarily occurred away from home, with two of their three defeats in the competition happening on the road. Furthermore, they are currently on a nine-match winless streak in all competitions against the Jeddah-based club.