Al Najma to face Al Ittihad in King’s Cup Round of 32 at King Abdullah Sports City on Aug 18
Al Najma will meet Al Ittihad at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, in the Round of 32 of the King’s Cup on Tuesday, 18 August, at 9:45 p.m. IST. The match can be streamed on Thmanyah in Saudi Arabia.
Al Najma were relegated from the Saudi top flight last season after finishing bottom of the table with 16 points from 34 games and are coached by Jorge Mendonca, who has previously managed Al Raed and Al Jabalain. The club will begin their second-division campaign with two consecutive home fixtures, hosting Al Jandal in the opening matchweek. The preview notes that Al Najma will need more than a miracle to progress past the Round of 32.
Al Ittihad finished fifth in the league and did not secure a direct spot in ACL Elite but beat Al Jazira 4-1 in the qualifiers to book their berth in ACL Elite. The club appointed German coach Jens Wissing, who previously won the ACL 2 with Gamba Osaka, and added Dion Lopy from Almeira and Mukhtar Sheikh from Al Ettifaq following the departures of Unai Hernandez and Mario Mitaj.
Both sides arrive with mixed recent form: Al Najma (in all competitions): W-L-D-D-L, and Al Ittihad (in all competitions): D-W-D-L-L. Al Ittihad opened the Saudi Pro League with a 1-1 draw against Al Kholood while playing with ten men.
David Tijanic is highlighted for Al Najma; the Slovenian midfielder from Ljubljana has played for Goztepe and Al Adalah before joining Al Najma, made five goal contributions in over 20 games last season, and won the 1 SNL with Olimpija Ljubljana. The preview describes Tijanic as the hosts’ primary playmaker.
Moussa Diaby is noted for Al Ittihad; the French right winger from Paris developed in the youth systems of PSG before spells at Leverkusen and Aston Villa and recently scored against Al Jazira in the AFC Elite Qualifiers. The article records that Diaby is a senior international for France and was part of the Les Bleus squad that won the 2021 UEFA Nations League.
Team news lists no injury concerns for the hosts, while Al Ittihad have Al Mousa doubtful and expect Farhah Al-Shamrani to replace Al Ghamdi, who is out with a ligament injury. Projected lineups provided are: Victor Braga (GK); Nasser Al-Haleel, Mohammed Al Fatil, Samir Caetano, Abdullah Al Hawsawi, Sultan Al-Essa; Bilal Boutobba, Nabil Dunga, David Tijanic, Ali Jasim; Felippe Cardoso. Predrag Rajković (GK); Ahmed Al-Julaydan, Stephane Keller, Danilo Pereira, Faris Abdi; Houssem Aouar, Dion Lopy, Farhah Al-Shamrani; Moussa Diaby, Youssef En-Nesyri, Steven Bergwijn.
Prediction: Al Najma 0-4 Al Ittihad. The preview expects Diaby to score a brace.