Al-Ettifaq will be aiming to make it three wins in a row in the Saudi Pro League when they welcome Al Khaleej to the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium this Thursday.
Club manager Steven Gerrard could not have hoped for a more positive start to life in the Saudi Pro League as his Al Ettifaq side is one of only three Saudi teams to pick up maximum points after the opening two matchdays. The Commandos currently sit third in the table and come into this game off the back of a 2-0 win over Al Hazm in their previous league match.
In contrast to Al-Ettifaq's perfect start, Al-Khaleej are enduring a challenging start to the new Saudi Pro League season, having yet to put a point on board this season. They were thrashed 3-1 away to Al-Feiha on the opening day, before losing at home to Al-Ahli by the same score-line last Thursday.
The visitors finished third from bottom last season - narrowly escaping relegation by three points - and they are one of favourites to go down this campaign.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Al-Ettifaq vs Al-Khaleej kick-off time
| Date: | August 24, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 2:00 pm EDT |
| Venue: | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium |
The Saudi Pro League match between Al-Ettifaq and Al-Khaleej will be played at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It will kick off at 2:00 pm EDT on August 24, 2023 in the United States (US).
How to watch Al-Ettifaq vs Al-Khaleej online - TV channels & live streams
 | Shahid | Watch here |
The fixture will be shown live on Shahid in the United States. Match highlights will be shown on the platforms after the full-time whistle. Live updates can be accessed here on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Al-Ettifaq team news
Al Ettifaq were without the services of their captain Jordan Henderson in their victory over Al-Hazem, with the former Liverpool midfielder unavailable through illness.
The England international, if fit, should resume his role at the heart of the midfield, teaming up with Faisal Al-Ghamdi and Ali Hazazi, while we expect an unchanged centre-back pairing of Marcel Tisserand and former Club Brugge man Jack Hendry.Should Henderson miss out once again, Berat Ozdemir will deputise for him in the engine room.
Brazilian winger Vitinho opened his account for the season last time out and should keep his spot in the visitors' attack, alongside striker Moussa Dembele and Robin Quaison.
Al Ettifaq possible XI: Victor; Abdulrahman, Tisserand, Hendry, Al-Khateeb; Al-Ghamdi, Ozdemir, Hazazi; Quaison, Dembele, Vitinho.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Al-Oaisher, Al-Haiti, Victor, Al-Dawaa, Baljoush |
| Defenders: | Al-Dossari, Hendry, Al Mousa, Hawsawi, Al-Dossari, Tisserand, Al-Sayyaf, Oumar, Al-Alaeli, Al-Khateeb, Al Mousa, Al-Shamrani |
| Midfielders: | Al-Kuwaykibi, Al-Ghamdi, Henderson, Hazazi, Al-Ghamdi, Al-Ghamdi, Hazazi, Vitinho, Al-Maqadi, Al-Dossari, Kaabi, Mahrazi, Ozdemir |
| Forwards: | Dembele, Qarradi, Quaison |
Al-Khaleej team news
Al Khaleej will remain without the services of winger Fawaz Al-Torais, who is out with a long-term ACL injury and is unlikely to return to training anytime soon.
Head coach Pedro Emanuel could stick with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation on Thursday, with 30-year-old forward Abdulla Al Salem leading the line for the hosts.
Portuguese pair Fabio Martins and Ivo Rodrigues will offer attacking support to the striker, while South Korea international Jung Woo-young will anchor the midfield.
Al Khaleej possible XI: Sehic; Al-Owdah, Al-Khabrani, Lopez, Rebocho; Al-Sumairi, Jung; Al-Ibrahim, Rodrigues, Martins; Al Salem.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Al-Dubais, Hawsawi, Sehic, Al-Haidari, Al-Dossary |
| Defenders: | Lopez, Anthony, Al-Khabrani, Al-Shanqiti, Rebocho, Amaral, Al-Mutairi, Al-Sebyani, Al-Hamsl, Al-Oudah |
| Midfielders: | Poko, Jung, Al-Sumairi, Al-Samti, Al-Majhad, Al-Abdan, Al-Hujaili, Martins, Al-Torais, Al-Darwish, Rodrigues |
| Forwards: | Hamzi, Sherif, Al-Salem, Al-Ibrahim |
Head-to-Head Record
The last time these two clubs met was back in May when Al Khaleej ran away with a 2-1 victory. That said, Al-Ettifaq boasts a more dominant record in this fixture, having won three of the last four meetings between the two teams.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 2/5/23 | Al-Khaleej 2-1 Al-Ettifaq | Saudi Pro League |
| 25/12/22 | Al-Ettifaq 1-0 Al-Khaleej | Saudi Pro League |
| 8/4/17 | Al-Ettifaq 3-1 Al-Khaleej | Saudi Pro League |
| 19/11/16 | Al-Khaleej 1-2 Al-Ettifaq | Saudi Pro League |