Newly-crowned champions of the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League, Al Ittihad remain in celebratory mood as they travel to face Al Shabab in the penultimate fixture of the campaign.
A 3-1 triumph away to Al Raed last time out secured the title for the People's Club, while the hosts head into this encounter with little at stake but pride, hoping to end the season on a high.
Match preview
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Al Ittihad lifted their 10th Saudi Pro League crown despite the worst possible start at King Abdullah Sports City, where already relegated Al Raed struck first through Oumar Gonzalez in the ninth minute.
However, for a second consecutive away outing, Laurent Blanc's men clawed their way back from behind, with Steven Bergwijn and Danilo Pereira turning the contest around before Abdulrahman Alobud added gloss just two minutes after the interval.
The result marked a fourth successive victory for the champions, who have struck three goals in each of those games to amass 77 points, a tally that mathematically secured the title with two games to spare owing to their head-to-head superiority over second-placed Al Hilal, who were nine points adrift and yet to play their gameweek 31 tie.
Six points clear and already settled at the summit, the focus now turns to whether the champions will be afforded an honour guard when they visit Al Shabab, a team that beat them 1-0 in this corresponding fixture last term and also came out 3-1 winners in the reverse.
Nonetheless, having claimed a 2-1 victory over the White Lions earlier this season, Al Ittihad have a chance to complete a top-flight double over their hosts for the first time since 2019-20.
Of particular note is the fact that Al Shabab previously declined to form an honour guard for Al Ahli following their AFC Champions League triumph in 2025, a decision that drew widespread criticism across Saudi football.
That encounter ended in a 3-1 victory for Fatih Terim's men, who halted a three-match winless sequence and followed that success with another 3-1 triumph over local rivals Al Riyadh in their most recent outing.
The White Lions have now collected 57 points from 17 wins, 16 draws and nine losses and are guaranteed to finish sixth, unable to reach the side above or be caught by seventh-placed Al Ettifaq.
Looking back, this campaign represents a standout year for Al Shabab, who are on course for their highest point haul in 13 seasons, already equalling their 2020-21 tally with two matches still to be played.
The Riyadh club have also fared well at home, gathering 32 points from 16 league matches in front of their supporters, and will feel confident about causing problems for the visiting champions.
Team News
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Al Shabab remain without Seung-Gyu Kim, who has been sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury since October last year.
Fahad Al Muwallad remains a doubt due to a chest complaint, while Mohamed Al-Thani is expected to stay out for a little longer with a muscle issue.
Abderrazak Hamdallah is expected to return to lead the line after serving a one-match ban, with the 21-goal forward eyeing the Golden Boot as he trails Cristiano Ronaldo by just two goals.
Al Ittihad striker Karim Benzema, who has also scored 21 times, is level with Hamdallah in the scoring charts, though his involvement remains uncertain after he missed the last match.
Meanwhile, Hasan Kadesh has been ruled out due to a muscle injury and is unlikely to return before the end of the month.
Al Ittihad are expected to stick with their usual 4-5-1 shape, which provides midfield balance with former Premier League pair N'golo Kante and Fabinho in holding roles, while Houssem Aouar serves as the chief creator and Bergwijn offers threat and pace from wide areas.
However, with the title wrapped up, Blanc may look to rotate his squad and offer fringe players a chance to feature.
Al Shabab possible starting lineup:
Bushchan; Al-Sharari, Al Shwirekh, Hoedt, Renan; Kamara, Guanca, Al Juwayr; Camara, Hamdallah, Carrasco
Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Shanqeeti, Al-Amri, Pereira, Mitaj; Kante, Fabinho; Alobud, Aouar, Hernandez; Bergwijn
We say: Al Shabab 2-2 Al Ittihad
There should be goals at both ends in this one, with the two sides in a rich vein of attacking form, though with Al Ittihad having already secured the crown and Al Shabab formidable at home, the points may end up being shared.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
