- Al Ittihad and Al Ahli prepare for a thrilling face-off in sold out fixture.
- Al Ittihad striker Karim Benzema shares his thoughts ahead of the Jeddah Derby.
- Key players to watch out for in the Jeddah Derby are Hamdallah, Fabinho, Kante, Benzema, Grohe, Mahrez, Saint-Maximin, Firmino, Al Buraikan, and Mendy.
Riyadh-: The atmosphere is set to be like no other. The upcoming Jeddah Derby between reigning Roshn Saudi League (RSL) champions Al Ittihad and city rivals Al Ahli promises to be one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures in the Saudi football season.
Taking place on Friday October 6 at 9pm (7pm CET, 2pm EDT, 11am PDT, 5am AEST) in front of a sell-out 60,000 capacity crowd at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, the city derby is the pick of the fixtures in matchweek 9, and the game has added spice as it is the first time the archrivals have faced off since the 2021/22 season, when Al Ahli were relegated to the Saudi First Division.
Football continues to thrive in Saudi Arabia. This week also saw the fervour grow with the announcement of Saudi Arabia’s intention to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup™. Domestically the league is experiencing its biggest season yet; more fans, more goals and the biggest stars in the world. Al Ittihad’s striker and current Ballon d’or winner, Karim Benzema, is relishing an opportunity to connect with fans in his first Jeddah Derby.
“Derbies, here or abroad, have the same flavour,” said the French star.
Beznema added: “The fans are going to give it their all, and that’s going to motivate the players even more. It’s going to be a big match. It’s up to us to do everything we can to win and show that we’re the best. In less than ten minutes, all the tickets were sold out. It proves that the fans are there. They’re going to push us so that we can win this match, which is very important for them. Before every match, there’s this communion with the fans. It’s extra motivation for us as players. It’s something you share with the fans, and it gives you a real boost to start the match and give it your all.”
When asked about facing ex-Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, Benzema said “There’s no face-off. We’re not the same players, we don’t have the same experience. Each of us will try to give his all for his club. I’m not worried about their team, I’m worried about my team and what I can give on the pitch. We’re going to give everything we’ve got to win this match, to show that we’re the best, to demonstrate our qualities together in front of our fans.”
Players from Al Ahli know the importance of the fixture with defensive midfielder Franck Kessie saying: “It is going to be a huge derby next week. It would be great to win it and we will have a busy week to be ready for the game.” Echoing the sentiment, Al Ahli’s goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, is gearing up for an electrifying atmosphere, stating: “It is going to be a great game of football. I am expecting a huge atmosphere on Friday for what will be my first Jeddah Derby. We will need to be at our best because we must win this game against Al Ittihad.”
Al Ittihad players to watch out for include, Abderazak Hamdallah, he is Al Ittihad’s top scorer and joint top provider so far this season in the RSL with 5 goals and 2 assists respectively, he is level on assists with his teammate, Saudi international Haroune Camara. Playmaker Igor Coronado leads the way for Al Ittihad in terms of chances created, he has created 17 chances so far this season. Goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe leads the RSL in terms of clean sheets, he has kept 6 clean sheets so far this season.
Al Ahli’s Feras Al Buraikan was last season’s highest scoring Saudi player in the RSL with 17 goals. This season he scored 4 goals for Al Fateh before making the move to Al Ahli where he has already got off the mark with a goal against Al Nassr in matchweek 7. Riyad Mahrez is Al Ahli’s top assist maker with 4 assists so far this season, he also leads the RSL with 33 chances created.
On the field, former Chelsea and UEFA Champions League winning teammates N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy might face off for the first time after their Stamford Bridge departure. Moreover, Al Ittihad’s lineup might include five-time UEFA Champions League winner Karim Benzema alongside Fabinho, and Luiz Felipe. Al Ittihad will match up against Al Ahli’s impressive squad that includes Robert Firmino, Allan Saint-Maximin, Gabri Veiga, Merih Demiral, and Franck Kessie.
Currently sitting 2nd in the RSL and 1 point behind league leaders Al Hilal, Al Ittihad has had a close to perfect start to the RSL winning 6, drawing 1 and losing 1 out of the 8 matches they have played. Their only defeat this season came by way of a thrilling 4-3 loss to Al Hilal in the Saudi El Classico, a match in which they were 3-1 up at half time.
Al Ahli are currently 6th in the RSL having won 5 out of the 8 games they have played this season. Al Ahli are on 17 points, 3 points behind league leaders Al Hilal and 1 point behind Al Nassr who defeated them 4-3 in matchweek 7 courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo brace. Their second loss came at the hands of Al Fateh who defeated them 5-1 in matchweek 5 of the RSL at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium.
In the lead-up to the Jeddah Derby on 26 September, Al Ittihad travelled from the east to Ar Rass in the heart of Saudi Arabia. There, they played an intense match lasting over 120 minutes against Saudi First Division side Al Kholood in the King’s Cup. The game ended 1-1 in regulation time, but Al Ittihad ultimately triumphed 7-6 in the penalty shootout. Following that, on 29 September, Al Ittihad journeyed to Riyadh to challenge Al Fayha at the King Fahd International Stadium, where the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
On 26 September, Al Ahli made the journey to the Southwest of Saudi Arabia to take on the Saudi First Division team, Al Ain, in the King’s Cup. Al Ahli secured a 3-2 victory, thanks in large part to Saudi striker Feras Al Buraikan who netted two goals. Later, in matchweek 8, Al Ahli squared off against Al Ettifaq at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. The game concluded in a 0-0 stalemate, earning Al Ahli a single point.
These matches will be shown around the world by the following broadcasters:
- A1 Bulgaria / Max Sport (Bulgaria)
- Azam (East Africa)
- Azteca (Central America & Mexico)
- Band Group (Brazil)
- Bilibili (China)
- Canal+ (France & French overseas territories)
- Canal Del Futbol (Ecuador)
- Cosmote (Greece)
- DAZN (UK, Germany, Austria, Canada, Belgium)
- Fox Sports (US and the Caribbean)
- GOAT (Brazil)
- La 7 (Italy)
- Marca dot com (Spain)
- Migu (China)
- Network Ten/10 Play (Australia)
- Okko (Russia)
- Polsat (Poland)
- Prima Sports (Romania)
- Saran TV (Turkey)
- Setanta (CIS, Baltics & Ukraine)
- Sony/culver (Indian Sub-continent)
- SPO TV (South East Asia, Korea & Japan)
- SportKlub (Fmr Yugo)
- Sport TV (Portugal)
- Sporty TV (Nigeria & Ghana)
- SportDigital (Switzerland)
- SportItalia (Italy)
- StartTimes (Sub-Saharan Africa incl. South Africa)
- Sport 1 & 2 (Czech and Slovakia)
- Supersport (Albania & Kosovo)
- TV2 (Hungary)
- Tencent (China)
- VIEON (Vietnam)
- Winners Sports (Caribbean)
- Win Sport (Colombia)
- ZAP (Angola & Mozambique)
- Zapping (Chile, Peru, Colombia)
- Zhibo8 (China)