Al Nassr Vs Shabab Al-Ahli Premier League Football Match 2023
Shabab Al Ahli are currently at the top of the UAE Pro League standings and have been fairly impressive over the past year. The away side eased past Ajman by a comfortable 3-0 margin last week and will be confident ahead of this fixture. Al Nassr, on the other hand, find themselves in 15th place in the Saudi Pro League table at the moment and have been in poor form so far this season. The hosts slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of Al Taawoun in their previous game and will need to bounce back this week.
Al Nassr have never played an official game against Shabab Al Ahli and will need to adapt to a new opponent going into the match this week.Since their victory in the Arab Club Champions Cup this month, Al Nassr have lost each of their last two matches in the Saudi Pro League and have conceded a total of four goals during this period.Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a total of 14 goals in his 16 appearances for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League – only Anderson Talisca was more prolific than the Portuguese legend in the competition.Shabab Al Ahli conceded only 25 goals in their 26 matches in the UAE Pro League last season – only Sharjah FC had a better defensive record over the course of the competition.
Al Nassr have endured a difficult start to their Saudi Pro League campaign this year and have a point to prove this week. Sadio Mane scored a goal on his Saudi Pro League debut and will look to add to his tally in this fixture. Shabab Al Ahli can pack a punch on their day and have been a dominant force on the domestic front over the past year. Al Nassr are the better team on paper, however, and should be able to win this game. Al Nassr finished second in the Saudi Premier League last season, five points behind Al Ittihad. Luís Castro became the new manager and guided his new club to victory in the Arab Club Champions Cup. They beat Raja Casablanca 3-1 in the quarter-finals, Al Shorta 1-0 in the semi-finals nd Al Hilal 2-0 in the final, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring both goals.
Al Nassr have had a poor start in the Saudi League, losing 2-1 at Al Ittifaq and 2-0 against Al Taawon. Shabab Al Ahli won the United Arab Emirates Pro League last season, finishing three points ahead of Al Ain. Manager Leonardo Jardim has been replaced by Marko Nikolic. His first game in charge was a 3-0 win against Al Wehdat in the AFC Champions League preliminary round. Shabab Al Ahli started the new league season with a 3-0 win at Ajman, a great result after Bogdan Planić was sent off in the 19th minute. Al Nassr are set to host Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai in their AFC Champions League Qualification encounter at Al-Awwal Park. Al Nassr enters the contest after taking home the Arab Club Champions Cup, but has had a few poor performances in their domestic league since then.
Their opponents, Shabab Al-Ahli, made a solid start to their domestic season following a 3-0 win over Al Wehdat in the previous round of this competition. Both of these clubs are from different leagues and include players of varying levels. Al Nassr remains the frontrunner because of their offensive skills, but their results in the last two matches cannot be overlooked, nor can the performances of Shabab Al-Ahli in recent weeks. We expect goals in this match. Al Nassr’s attacking unit has largely clicked and scored at a high rate, particularly at home. They were also the best scorers in their domestic competition last season. Furthermore, Shabab Al-Ahli’s last two matches have both ended with more than 2.5 goals.
