Cristiano Ronaldo and his side will be on cloud nine following the team’s dominant win over Al Ettifaq in their last encounter. With the team high on momentum, Luis Castro’s Al Nassr will travel to King Abdullah Sports Stadium to take on Karim Benzema‘s Al Ittihad in their upcoming match. This could be a high-voltage clash between the two sides. Despite their poor form, defending champions Al Ittihad have a solid core side and could pose an enormous threat to Cristiano’s Al Nassr if taken lightly.

The game could have massive ramifications on the Saudi Pro League points table. A win for Al Nassr will see them close the gap with table-toppers Al Hilal who currently has a ten-point advantage over second-placed Al Nassr. With the stage set for a high-octane clash, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top between the two heavyweights.

Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr: Prediction

While both teams have some great firepower to cause massive damage to their opposition, Al Nassr will walk into the game with an edge over their opponents. The team has been firing on all cylinders with all their top names finding the back of the net in the past few games. Al Ittihad, on the other hand, has struggled massively, depending on Karim Benzema in the attacking third. While the side could pose a threat to Al Nassr, Cristiano and his men should walk away with three points at the sound of the final whistle.

Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr: Head-to-Head Stats

Total games played: 46

Al Ittihad won: 18

Al Nassr won: 14

Draws: 14

Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr: Injury Updates

The home side will be without the services of Madallah Alolayan, who picked up a red card on his last outing. Both Omar Hawsawi and Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti are unlikely to start for the side with the duo out with prolonged injuries.

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To add more to the manager’s worries, the team will be without their first-choice defenders with Al Shanqiti, Luiz Felipe, Al-Minhali, and Ahmed Bamsaud out owing to injuries. Abdullah Al-Mayouf is likely to start between the sticks for Marcelo Gallardo’s side with Abdullah Al-Jadaani unlikely to make a recovery before early January.

Luis Castro will probably have most of his squad at his disposal for the clash against the defending champions. Colombian star David Ospina is yet to be registered for the side and will remain unavailable for selection. Nawaf Boushal missed the game against Al Ettifaq last Friday and might have to sit on the sidelines to make room for Alex Telles who made his return from injury in the previous fixture.

Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr: Announced Lineups

Al Ittihad lineup: (4-2-3-1) Al-Mayouf; Al-Sahafi, H. Kadesh, Fabinho, Hawsawi; Kante, Ivan Coronado; Romarinho, Al-Ghamdi, Hamdallah; Benzema.

Al Nassr lineup: (4-2-3-1) Al-Aqidi; Al-Ghannam, Lajami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo.

Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr: When and Where to Watch

Marcelo Gallardo’s Al Ittihad will host Cristiano Ronaldo and his men at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium with the Saudi Pro League changing the venue for the fixture owing to FIFA’s intervention. However, despite the change, the game will kick-start on its set time.

Fans across the United States can catch the live action of the game on Boxing Day from 01:00 PM EST on FIFA+ without any charges. The game is also available for supporters in the United Kingdom, who’ll have to tune into TNT Sports to watch the live coverage of the game.

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