european star players who are quite old certainly not be a problem, the most important thing is that their performance is still a bit the same as when they were young and for Ronaldo, who thinks he has almost the same performance when he was young, its just that his ball control skills are definitely slightly reduced due to age it will definitely have a little influence and in fact Ronaldo is still known as scoring machine as you said, even like Benzema and Neymar who are also in one of the SPL teams at the moment are not able to perform optimally because they need time to adapt and well I hope that European players who have the age a bit old will still shine in this SPL.
Actually Karim Benzema and Neymar are first season with Saudi Pro League teams and they need time for adapting about weather where difference condition between Europe and Saudi Arabia, its they can adapting well not close opportunity to make compete with Cristiano Ronaldo in top scorer standings position. Its not really bad with Karim Benzema performance in this season, from 6 matches in domestic league he has contribution with 3 goals and 2 assists. Just waiting moment only for Karim Benzema lead top scorer from Cristiano Ronaldo have adapted well with Saudi Arabia weather after second season played for Al Nassr. Not depending with Karim Benzema and Neymar more younger than Cristiano Ronaldo but depend on how long with Ronaldo have played in Saudi Pro League than Karim Benzema and Neymar as their first season with Saudi Arabia club. 
Topic: Saudi Professional League 2023/2024 - page 481. (Read 119728 times)
Odds look quite strange for the Al Ahli vs Al Ittihad match. I would have expected much closer odds than what they have right now (heavily biased in favor of Al Ittihad). And this is strange, given that Karim Benzema is out injured and he is unlikely to take part in this match. He has missed out on previous three matches, and this will be the 4th match in a row that he is not playing. Also, from what I heard the Al Ittihad fans are also frustrated with Benzema. So far he has scored just 3 goals and 2 assists in the Saudi Professional League.
Al Ittihad I don't think is that much stronger compared to Al Ahli so yeah the odds are quite strange but remember every time that we think the odds are strange the bookies know something that we don't so I would be careful on betting on that game.
Betting on both teams to score,and over 2.5 goals as same game bet builder would be a good option and why not over 3.5 goals instead of 2.5 goals,in this league we usually see quite some goals scored per game.Benzema can make a difference and when he is not playing it means that the odds are biased but as I said we don't know the same data with the bookies,they know much more than us.
Odds look quite strange for the Al Ahli vs Al Ittihad match. I would have expected much closer odds than what they have right now (heavily biased in favor of Al Ittihad). And this is strange, given that Karim Benzema is out injured and he is unlikely to take part in this match. He has missed out on previous three matches, and this will be the 4th match in a row that he is not playing. Also, from what I heard the Al Ittihad fans are also frustrated with Benzema. So far he has scored just 3 goals and 2 assists in the Saudi Professional League.
Benzema being out on injury should not be the reason the odd should have a similar margin because, even before his arrival, Al Ittihad has been winning them when you check their match history; moreover, Abderrazak Hamdallah is also there, and he is one of the Al Ittihad goal scorers because he has scored six goals this season. Therefore, I think they did not have a problem even without Benzema on the team.There is big difference in the odds. Al-Ittihad to win the match @1.97 and Al-Ahli Saudi @3.30 which is huge difference. Both the teams have got a very narrow difference in the points table, Al-Ittihad placed at the second position with 18 points and Al-Ahli Saudi is at 6th position with 16 points. Injury seems to be a big problem with Benzema, during his previous season with Real Madrid he had missed 16 matches out of injury. Even in the World Cup he was out due to injury.
But what looks very competitive are the teams with the top 5 rankings because they are the strongest teams and dominate the league, even this season these 5 teams will always beat each other and as much as possible stay at the top fighting for first place.
In the future it seems like shifts will always occur and they will only go up and down alternately depending on how the match results for each team.
The match between Al Ittihad and Al Ahli will be quite an interesting match because both of them are one point apart and are in first and second place.
It will be difficult to determine who will win this match because each team has their mainstay players who are equally great and can always be the savior in achieving victory.
From the end of this match, one of them will go down because Al Taawon and Al Nassr will definitely rise to first and second place.
Al-ittihad are one of the strongest teams this season in the SPL and their performance has been so brilliant that's why they're currently in the 2nd place in the table with about 19 points, 3 points above Al-Ahli, however in the match between both teams, Al-ittihad are favourites to win the game cause they're performing better and are playing with a home advantage and according to their head to head games Al-ittihad have been more dominant and has won more matches in their past 5 games and now they got more European players especially Kareem Benzema and Ngolo kante in their team, they stand a better chance to win the game.In the future it seems like shifts will always occur and they will only go up and down alternately depending on how the match results for each team.
The match between Al Ittihad and Al Ahli will be quite an interesting match because both of them are one point apart and are in first and second place.
It will be difficult to determine who will win this match because each team has their mainstay players who are equally great and can always be the savior in achieving victory.
From the end of this match, one of them will go down because Al Taawon and Al Nassr will definitely rise to first and second place.
Al-ittihad need to win the game else they'll drop points and give other teams opportunities to top them, therefore they need to be careful and not underestimate their opponent, even though they're favorites to win the game.
Al Nassr is performing better and always shows very good progress so that it is able to catch up and only has few points difference with first place occupied by Al Hilal and second or third place occupied by Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawon.
From what Al Nassr has achieved they have a big chance of becoming champions this season and can make the squad the strongest for the Saudi Pro League.
Actually if you say it easy it not quite right because Ronaldo and his friends try very hard and always maximize their performance to be able to win every match and catch up with the team at the top of the standings.
As time went by some Al Nassr players were really showed the world that for this season big changes had occurred, changes that made Al Nassr difficult team to beat.
I believe Al Nassr can take advantage of the opportunity and can become the team that occupies first and place to win the trophy this season.
All clubs in the SPL will have the same ambition, namely to win a trophy at the end of the season, the top five standings are very competitive at the moment. Week 9 will happen soon, the standings are likely to change again significantly, I think. The match between Al Ittihad and Al Ahli will be an interesting one to look forward to, Al Nassr will have a slightly easier opponent, Abha Club.From what Al Nassr has achieved they have a big chance of becoming champions this season and can make the squad the strongest for the Saudi Pro League.
Actually if you say it easy it not quite right because Ronaldo and his friends try very hard and always maximize their performance to be able to win every match and catch up with the team at the top of the standings.
As time went by some Al Nassr players were really showed the world that for this season big changes had occurred, changes that made Al Nassr difficult team to beat.
I believe Al Nassr can take advantage of the opportunity and can become the team that occupies first and place to win the trophy this season.
If Al Ahli draws with Al Ittihad, then Al Nassr will move up one level but with the condition that they must succeed in getting points by beating Abha Club. For Al Hilal, who currently leads the standings, I think they will remain at the top because the chance of winning over Al Akhdoud is quite big.
In the future it seems like shifts will always occur and they will only go up and down alternately depending on how the match results for each team.
The match between Al Ittihad and Al Ahli will be quite an interesting match because both of them are one point apart and are in first and second place.
It will be difficult to determine who will win this match because each team has their mainstay players who are equally great and can always be the savior in achieving victory.
From the end of this match, one of them will go down because Al Taawon and Al Nassr will definitely rise to first and second place.
Odds look quite strange for the Al Ahli vs Al Ittihad match. I would have expected much closer odds than what they have right now (heavily biased in favor of Al Ittihad). And this is strange, given that Karim Benzema is out injured and he is unlikely to take part in this match. He has missed out on previous three matches, and this will be the 4th match in a row that he is not playing. Also, from what I heard the Al Ittihad fans are also frustrated with Benzema. So far he has scored just 3 goals and 2 assists in the Saudi Professional League.
There is big difference in the odds. Al-Ittihad to win the match @1.97 and Al-Ahli Saudi @3.30 which is huge difference. Both the teams have got a very narrow difference in the points table, Al-Ittihad placed at the second position with 18 points and Al-Ahli Saudi is at 6th position with 16 points. Injury seems to be a big problem with Benzema, during his previous season with Real Madrid he had missed 16 matches out of injury. Even in the World Cup he was out due to injury. 
But is also shows that the Saudi Professional League is so much easier to play for these superstars because I doubt that Mane and Ronaldo would have the same goal count and assist count in the Premier League or another European top league. Of course it is their job to score in their position, but the frequency would incredible in any European league. I don't think it is as impressive in this league though. But still it is a performance that should be respected.
For players who are full of experience in the top European leagues, of course playing in the Saudi league is not a problem, especially at an old age like now, they can still have the opportunity to become top scorers. Both Ronaldo and Mane are experienced strikers and previously they also played as wingers at a fairly young age. So it's not surprising that all European players at a relatively old age will still be crazy when it comes to scoring goals. Not too impressive because we have often seen both of them during their prime, so scary for any team's defense that what they are doing now is like repeating the previous time but with less intensity.
Odds look quite strange for the Al Ahli vs Al Ittihad match. I would have expected much closer odds than what they have right now (heavily biased in favor of Al Ittihad). And this is strange, given that Karim Benzema is out injured and he is unlikely to take part in this match. He has missed out on previous three matches, and this will be the 4th match in a row that he is not playing. Also, from what I heard the Al Ittihad fans are also frustrated with Benzema. So far he has scored just 3 goals and 2 assists in the Saudi Professional League.
Al Ittihad's manager (Nuno Espírito Santo) had some issues with Karim Benzema, since he wanted to give more priority to Abderrazak Hamdallah. So he will be more or less happy with the absence of Benzema. Their next match is against one of the toughest opponents (Al Ahli) in the Saudi Professional League. Their last match didn't ended well for them, as they conceded a goal-less draw against Al Feiha. If they had got 3 points from that match, then they would have retained their position as the top team in points table.
Ittihad FC's manager is reportedly disappointed with the club's decision to prefer to bring in older players, whereas he thinks that younger players should be made to make the team stronger. The reason is quite reasonable because he definitely hopes that the players they buy will not only be fit but also last longer being in the team because old players like Benzema will probably only play at this club for 1-2 seasons after then retiring, even if not, his performance will definitely decline.Facing Al Ahli will be quite a tough job but my prediction is that it will still be a victory for Ittihad. Both H2H are quite balanced, no team is more dominant, but in several seasons Ittihad has won more against Al Ahli.
I like that criticism by the manager because it is simple to see that he got a point there. The goal should be to raise talents and add older players to also get some experience integrated into the team, but when all the limelight is on two old players and the young players receive little to no attention, it also seems to not be the right approach.
I think it is good to see a manager raise this concern, but I doubt that this will change anything about the approach of the Saudi Pro clubs. They will still be after those older star players for a while and probably switch over to younger talent as well as soon as they have enough superstars to attract the international audience to watch and follow the league.
Who knows, maybe destiny had different plans?
Ronaldo, the savior for Al Nassr. Al Nassr, once the underdogs, now stand tall in the Arab league and aim to win the Saudi Pro League trophy. However, Al Hilal has won the domestic league title a remarkable 18 times. The club has recently signed Neymar. So, what I mean is, the stage is set for an epic battle between Al Nassr, Al-Ettihad, and the towering 18-time Saudi Pro League winners, Al-Hilal.
Al-Hilal didn't lose any match yet and they are trying their best to keep the first spot for them. Their 2 draws made the others close to them. Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr are heavy contenders for the title also but I am impressed with Al-Taawoun and Al-Ettifaq resistance so far among the top teams. Ronaldo, the savior for Al Nassr. Al Nassr, once the underdogs, now stand tall in the Arab league and aim to win the Saudi Pro League trophy. However, Al Hilal has won the domestic league title a remarkable 18 times. The club has recently signed Neymar. So, what I mean is, the stage is set for an epic battle between Al Nassr, Al-Ettihad, and the towering 18-time Saudi Pro League winners, Al-Hilal.
There will some matches to come soon. Al ittihad will be facing al ahli which is becoming the most attractive match for this week. Al naasr and al hilal will be facing some weak teams.
It's unlikely al ittihad will be able to win the game against al ahli easily.
My pick for this week obviously
Al nassr
Al Ittihad
Al hilal.
Al Ittihad's manager (Nuno Espírito Santo) had some issues with Karim Benzema, since he wanted to give more priority to Abderrazak Hamdallah. So he will be more or less happy with the absence of Benzema. Their next match is against one of the toughest opponents (Al Ahli) in the Saudi Professional League. Their last match didn't ended well for them, as they conceded a goal-less draw against Al Feiha. If they had got 3 points from that match, then they would have retained their position as the top team in points table.
Ittihad FC's manager is reportedly disappointed with the club's decision to prefer to bring in older players, whereas he thinks that younger players should be made to make the team stronger. The reason is quite reasonable because he definitely hopes that the players they buy will not only be fit but also last longer being in the team because old players like Benzema will probably only play at this club for 1-2 seasons after then retiring, even if not, his performance will definitely decline.Facing Al Ahli will be quite a tough job but my prediction is that it will still be a victory for Ittihad. Both H2H are quite balanced, no team is more dominant, but in several seasons Ittihad has won more against Al Ahli.
But is also shows that the Saudi Professional League is so much easier to play for these superstars because I doubt that Mane and Ronaldo would have the same goal count and assist count in the Premier League or another European top league. Of course it is their job to score in their position, but the frequency would incredible in any European league. I don't think it is as impressive in this league though. But still it is a performance that should be respected.
For players who are full of experience in the top European leagues, of course playing in the Saudi league is not a problem, especially at an old age like now, they can still have the opportunity to become top scorers. Both Ronaldo and Mane are experienced strikers and previously they also played as wingers at a fairly young age. So it's not surprising that all European players at a relatively old age will still be crazy when it comes to scoring goals. Not too impressive because we have often seen both of them during their prime, so scary for any team's defense that what they are doing now is like repeating the previous time but with less intensity.@rendravolt I disagree here because Ronaldo continued scoring goals in his second appearance for Manchester United and just because he’s making it look easy doesn’t mean that it’s actually easy because if you followed Ronaldo then you would have known that he’ll not just maintain his fitness but he’ll ensure that all eat fit and workout harder and that’s how he lifts the team. Furthermore he did struggle initially but he worked hard to understand all about this league and now his hard work is paying rich dividends for his team.
But is also shows that the Saudi Professional League is so much easier to play for these superstars because I doubt that Mane and Ronaldo would have the same goal count and assist count in the Premier League or another European top league. Of course it is their job to score in their position, but the frequency would incredible in any European league. I don't think it is as impressive in this league though. But still it is a performance that should be respected.
For players who are full of experience in the top European leagues, of course playing in the Saudi league is not a problem, especially at an old age like now, they can still have the opportunity to become top scorers. Both Ronaldo and Mane are experienced strikers and previously they also played as wingers at a fairly young age. So it's not surprising that all European players at a relatively old age will still be crazy when it comes to scoring goals. Not too impressive because we have often seen both of them during their prime, so scary for any team's defense that what they are doing now is like repeating the previous time but with less intensity. Of course Al-Ittihad still has solid players and the absence of Karim Benzema will not affect Al-Ittihad's performance even though the presence of Karim Benzema makes Al-Ittihad's attack line even stronger.
Al-Ahli is not a very strong opponent for Al-Ittihad as proven by their last 5 matches. Al-Ittihad was able to beat 3 matches while Al-Ahli only won 1 match and draw 1 x. Of course this match will end the same, namely won by Al-Ittihad although with a narrow score.
To chase points and replace Al-hilal in first place, of course Al-Ittihad will try as hard as they can for this match.
Al-Ahli is not a very strong opponent for Al-Ittihad as proven by their last 5 matches. Al-Ittihad was able to beat 3 matches while Al-Ahli only won 1 match and draw 1 x. Of course this match will end the same, namely won by Al-Ittihad although with a narrow score.
To chase points and replace Al-hilal in first place, of course Al-Ittihad will try as hard as they can for this match.
Al Ittihad's manager (Nuno Espírito Santo) had some issues with Karim Benzema, since he wanted to give more priority to Abderrazak Hamdallah. So he will be more or less happy with the absence of Benzema. Their next match is against one of the toughest opponents (Al Ahli) in the Saudi Professional League. Their last match didn't ended well for them, as they conceded a goal-less draw against Al Feiha. If they had got 3 points from that match, then they would have retained their position as the top team in points table.
~snip~
I agree that Al-ittihad seems to be the favorite in this match. And Al-Ahli is actually not that consistent. They do have great players. But I don't think Al-Ahli is as strong as Al-ittihad. Benzema is currently still injured but the Al-ittihad squad is always strong even without Benzema. We have seen this since last season. Because last season Al-Ittihad won the title because they deserved it. Al-Nassr always had difficulties when facing Al-ittihad, which at that time did not have Benzema. So Al-Ahli will not be much different. They must have had difficulties in this match. But I can't predict whether Al-ittihad will win. But what is certain is that Al-ittihad will definitely dominate in possession of the ball. And it will continue to make things difficult for Al-Ahli's defense.
Of course Al-Ittihad still has solid players and the absence of Karim Benzema will not affect Al-Ittihad's performance even though the presence of Karim Benzema makes Al-Ittihad's attack line even stronger.
Al-Ahli is not a very strong opponent for Al-Ittihad as proven by their last 5 matches. Al-Ittihad was able to beat 3 matches while Al-Ahli only won 1 match and draw 1 x. Of course this match will end the same, namely won by Al-Ittihad although with a narrow score.
To chase points and replace Al-hilal in first place, of course Al-Ittihad will try as hard as they can for this match.
Al-Ahli is not a very strong opponent for Al-Ittihad as proven by their last 5 matches. Al-Ittihad was able to beat 3 matches while Al-Ahli only won 1 match and draw 1 x. Of course this match will end the same, namely won by Al-Ittihad although with a narrow score.
To chase points and replace Al-hilal in first place, of course Al-Ittihad will try as hard as they can for this match.
But is also shows that the Saudi Professional League is so much easier to play for these superstars because I doubt that Mane and Ronaldo would have the same goal count and assist count in the Premier League or another European top league. Of course it is their job to score in their position, but the frequency would incredible in any European league. I don't think it is as impressive in this league though. But still it is a performance that should be respected.
Saudi Pro League grown popular this season, with further signing of European players, all eyes on the league. It is important for most players to shine in their first season, whereas some European players finding it extremely difficult to have their best peak in their new League they found themselves, while some have already rowing really smooth with the new system. Talking about Cristiano Ronaldo, we never noticed any scenario were the Portugal international have difficulty, he keep elevating his team to next level, his presence have also bring the very best from his teammates and upgrade of Al Nassr pattern of game. One guy alone can never do all too much I think and Ronaldo benefitted a lot from Al-Nasr bringing in Mane as well because they work together so well now. They can assist each other and understand each other even though they haven't played together before, but I think that is what makes great players. It is when they meet for the first time and know what the other one is going to do without having any former practice together. That's what you could see when Ronaldo and Mane had their first games. Without Mane, Ronaldo sometimes felt lost because he couldn't play his passes like he was used to do as nobody would react the same way. This has now changed to the benefit of his game.
LOL.. Al Nassr has won all 6 of their last matches, and they are still trailing at 4th position (2 points behind Al Hillal). This shows how damaging it has been to lose the first two matches. None of the other teams in Saudi Professional League have achieved 6 consecutive wins in this season. The momentum is with Al Nassr, but I don't know when they will be able to top the points table. And just now noticed that Al Taawoun is in no.3, ahead of Al Nassr!!! WTF? This is the team that defeated Al Nassr in August. They are mostly comprised of Saudi players, with a few second tier overseas players like Aschraf El Mahdioui and Musa Barrow.
In the Arabian league and Asian Champion league they have won a lot, like them while focusing on continuing the winning streak, at this time I see that Al Nassr will not play strong teams means there is a possibility that they will continue to win and may shift the position of Al Hilal and other teams above, this looks quite confident especially Ronaldo always scores in every match he may be a motivation for other players.I'm curious to see when Al Nassr play Al Hilal or Ittihad FC because these are the strongest teams in the SPL, of course it will be exciting and there might be a lot of goals.
Saudi Arabia invested too much in this season in teams like Al Nassr and Al Hial to buy superstar players like Neymar and Ronaldo. Obvouisuly after hiring all these players they want to see their team win the Asian Champions League because all other Asian teams had much lower investments than these Saudi teams and I think if it doesn't happen and they fail to win the title there is the chance for these teams to change players or coaches.
Who knows, maybe destiny had different plans?
Ronaldo, the savior for Al Nassr. Al Nassr, once the underdogs, now stand tall in the Arab league and aim to win the Saudi Pro League trophy. However, Al Hilal has won the domestic league title a remarkable 18 times. The club has recently signed Neymar. So, what I mean is, the stage is set for an epic battle between Al Nassr, Al-Ettihad, and the towering 18-time Saudi Pro League winners, Al-Hilal.
Al-Hilal didn't lose any match yet and they are trying their best to keep the first spot for them. Their 2 draws made the others close to them. Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr are heavy contenders for the title also but I am impressed with Al-Taawoun and Al-Ettifaq resistance so far among the top teams. Ronaldo, the savior for Al Nassr. Al Nassr, once the underdogs, now stand tall in the Arab league and aim to win the Saudi Pro League trophy. However, Al Hilal has won the domestic league title a remarkable 18 times. The club has recently signed Neymar. So, what I mean is, the stage is set for an epic battle between Al Nassr, Al-Ettihad, and the towering 18-time Saudi Pro League winners, Al-Hilal.
Yeah Al-Hilal is the only team that is unbeaten in this league but that doesn't mean they are safe because big matches are waiting ahead and every month, like this month Al-Hilal vs Al-Ahli on October 28 or in the Al-Hilal vs Al-Nassr match in November which could potentially destroy their unbeaten record. The difference in points between other clubs is getting closer so we cannot predict which team will have the chance to win the title, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr have the same potential just waiting to see who is more worthy at the end of the season.
LOL.. Al Nassr has won all 6 of their last matches, and they are still trailing at 4th position (2 points behind Al Hillal). This shows how damaging it has been to lose the first two matches. None of the other teams in Saudi Professional League have achieved 6 consecutive wins in this season. The momentum is with Al Nassr, but I don't know when they will be able to top the points table. And just now noticed that Al Taawoun is in no.3, ahead of Al Nassr!!! WTF? This is the team that defeated Al Nassr in August. They are mostly comprised of Saudi players, with a few second tier overseas players like Aschraf El Mahdioui and Musa Barrow.
In the Arabian league and Asian Champion league they have won a lot, like them while focusing on continuing the winning streak, at this time I see that Al Nassr will not play strong teams means there is a possibility that they will continue to win and may shift the position of Al Hilal and other teams above, this looks quite confident especially Ronaldo always scores in every match he may be a motivation for other players.I'm curious to see when Al Nassr play Al Hilal or Ittihad FC because these are the strongest teams in the SPL, of course it will be exciting and there might be a lot of goals.
Saudi Arabia invested too much in this season in teams like Al Nassr and Al Hial to buy superstar players like Neymar and Ronaldo. Obvouisuly after hiring all these players they want to see their team win the Asian Champions League because all other Asian teams had much lower investments than these Saudi teams and I think if it doesn't happen and they fail to win the title there is the chance for these teams to change players or coaches.
Al-Hilal didn't lose any match yet and they are trying their best to keep the first spot for them. Their 2 draws made the others close to them. Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr are heavy contenders for the title also but I am impressed with Al-Taawoun and Al-Ettifaq resistance so far among the top teams.
After all the SPL teams have finished their 8th match of the season and it can be seen which team is the most consistent in maintaining their form this season. For Al Hilal, they are one of the teams that have never experienced defeat, which makes them sit comfortably in 1st place in the standings. Al Hilal's defense is quite strong and they have many top European players in their squad this season. However, looking at the condition of the teams ranked in the top 4 of the Saudi Arabian league, it seems that there is not a big enough difference in their points tally, I mean if a match every week can change their ranking in the standings table.Al Nassr also performed quite well, they were able to win many matches after a not very good start to the season. Al Ittihad will face Al Ahli in this week's match. I think this match will be quite a big match in the SPL because it brings together two teams that have many top European players in their squad. Maybe I will support Al Ittihad to win this match. Al Naasr will also face Abha in tomorrow's match. Maybe this is an easy match for Al Nassr and I think they will be able to win this match easily.
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