Al Najma v Al Ittihad: Lineups confirmed for Saudi King’s Cup Round of 32
Al Najma will host Al Ittihad at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in a Saudi King’s Cup 2026-27 Round of 32 tie. Both clubs have named their starting XIs and benches ahead of a 9:45 PM IST kick-off for viewers in India.
Al Ittihad enter the match as 14-time Saudi Pro League champions who finished fifth in the 2025-26 domestic campaign. The club beat Machida Zelvia to lift the AFC Champions League Elite title and were eliminated from last season’s King’s Cup in the semi-finals after losing on penalties to Al Kholood. Al Najma completed last season in 18th place and were relegated to the Saudi First Division.
Al Najma’s starting XI is Adel Al‑Anzi; Omar Al-Oudah, Diogo Queirós, Khaled Al-Shammari, Khaled Al-Khathlan; Afonso Taira, João Novais; Abdulelah Al-Shammari, Ahmed Al-Badah, Masalah Al-Shaekh; Suleiman Al-Saeed. Their named substitutes are Belal Al-Dawaa (gk), Nasser Al-Haleel, Mohammed Al-Marri, Ammar Al-Najjar, Jathub Al-Dhafieri, Eyad Madani, Abdullah Al-Hawsawi and David Tijanic.
Al Ittihad’s starting lineup is Predrag Rajković; Danilo Pereira, Hasan Kadesh, Jan-Carlo Simić, Muath Faqeehi; Dion Lopy, Rakan Kaabi; Houssem Aouar, Ahmed Alghamdi, Marwan Al-Shahafi; George Ilenikhena. Their bench includes Mohammed Al-Absi (gk), Osama Al-Mermesh (gk), Stephane Keller, Mohammed Barnawi, Faris Abdi, Ahmed Al-Julaydan, Mohammed Fallatah, Farha Al-Shamrani, Steven Bergwijn, Mukhtar Sheikh, Youssef En‑Nesyri and Saleh Al-Shehri.
Khel Now published the confirmed lineups and advised readers to follow its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels, download the Khel Now Android or iOS app, or join its Telegram community for further updates. The fixture information and team lists were provided in the outlet’s match preview coverage.
The report was produced by Sushruta, who has spent over two years covering football, with a focus on Indian and international competitions.
The match serves as Al Ittihad’s opener in this edition of the King’s Cup, and Al Ittihad will look to go one step further in the competition; Al Najma will face a tough test to get a positive result against the Saudi giants.