Al-Ahli will be looking to maintain their brilliant start of the season when they entertain Al-Akhdoud in the third round of the Saudi Pro League at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium on Thursday.
Although Al-Ahli spent the 2022/23 season in the second division of Saudi Arabian football, the three-time Saudi Pro League winners are back in the top flight with a bang. They continued their impressive start to the season by sealing a 3-1 victory over Al-Khaleej in their league match, where star winger Riyad Mahrez netted his first league goal for the Classy.
In contrast to Al-Ahli's strong start to life back in the top division, newbies Al-Akhdoud are struggling to cope with the rigours of the Saudi Pro League, having not yet secured a victory this season.
While they opened the new campaign with a promising performance against Al-Shabab, securing a well-deserved, hard-fought draw at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, they subsequently suffered a 1-3 defeat against Al-Fateh in their most recent league match.
Still, as a newly promoted side, their only aim should be to stay up in the top flight and will be looking to gatecrash the party atmosphere at Al-Ahli's home soil.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Ahli vs Akhdoud kick-off time
| Date: | August 24, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 2:00 pm EDT |
| Venue: | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium |
The Saudi Pro League match between Al-Ahli and Al-Akhdoud will be played at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It will kick off at 2:00 pm EDT on August 24, 2023 in the United States (US).
How to watch Al-Ahli vs Al-Akhdoud online - TV channels & live streams
 | Shahid | Watch here |
The game will be available to watch in the US on Shahid.
Team news & squads
Al-Ahli team news
After two rounds of Saudi Pro League fixtures, Al Ahli have been the most entertaining and potent side going forward, scoring six goals over the course of their two victories, but they will be without the services of star striker Roberto Firmino for this encounter as well.
The Brazilian striker sustained an injury during a training session before the last game against Al-Khaleej, and hasn't recovered yet. Fahad Al-Rashidi will likely deputize for the former Liverpool man upfront, looking to pounce on the elite chance creation supply chain triumvirate of Allan Saint-Maximin, Riyad Mahrez and Ryad Boudebaz.
There's no shortage of quality in other areas of the pitch either, with former AS Roma defender Roger Ibanez, and ex-Leeds full-back Alioski looking to keep things solid at the back. Former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie will patrol the engine room, while Al-Ahli are also closing in on another high-profile capture of young prodigy Gabri Veiga from Celta Vigo.
Al-Ahli possible XI: Mendy; Majrashi, Ibanez, Hindi, Alioski; Aljohani, Kessie; Mahrez, Boudebouz, Saint-Maximin; Al-Rashidi.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Mendy, Al-Rubaie, Al-Sanbi |
| Defenders: | Ibanez, Hindi, Al-Hamad, Abuyabes, Alioski, Al-Zubaidi, Al-Nakhli, Majrashi, Al-Hurayji, Hamed, A. Khadhari |
| Midfielders: | Al-Asmari, Al-Johani, Otayf, Kessie, Al-Majhad, Boudebouz, Saint-Maximin, Al-Nabit, Barrow, Mahrez, Asiri, Al-Rashidi, Al-Ghamdi |
| Forwards: | Al-Ali, Al-Mogren, Khadhari |
Al-Akhdoud team news
Unlike Al-Ahli, Al-Akhdoud are not under the control of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, so their squad doesn't have many high-profile familiar European names and mainly consists of homegrown Saudi players.
They have still welcomed a slew of loan transfers over the summer transfer window in order to make the squad competent enough for their battle against relegation, with the loan capture of Spanish winger Alex Collado from Real Betis being their headline summer signing so far, while defender Andrei Burca has arrived from CFR Cluj for €1 million.
Collado, for one, will miss this game through suspension after he was sent off in the 3-1 defeat against Al-Fateh last time out, while another summer loan signing Juan Pedroza is doubtful with an injury.
Al-Akhdoud predicted lineup: Vitor; Faraj, Kvirkvelia, Burca, Al Zabdani; Jahif, Al Muwallad; Al-Harthi, Tanase, Al Shaikh; Mostafa.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Vitor, Sha'en, Rahma |
| Defenders: | Faraj, Kvirkvelia, Burca, Al Zabdani, Khamis, Al Mansour, Al-Rio |
| Midfielders: | Jahif, Al Muwallad, Al-Harthi, Tanase, Al Shaikh, Al Hatila, Al-Salim, Al-Yami |
| Forward: | Mostafa, Nayef, Al Hamam |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 2/2/23 | Al-Ahli 1-4 Al-Akhdoud | Saudi Pro League |
| 30/8/22 | Al-Akhdoud 2-0 Al-Ahli | Saudi Pro League |