Al Ahli are showing signs of recovery after a difficult start to the 2026-27 season, but the injury crisis gripping the squad remains the defining story around the Jeddah club. A 3-2 win at Al-Fayha in matchday 10, reported by Goal, offered genuine encouragement after a run of poor early results, with Artem Bondarenko scoring twice and Firas Al-Buraikan adding a third to secure three points in a match that went down to the wire. The result moved them to 18 points and briefly into fourth place.

Yet the positive result came with a cost. New injuries emerged during and after the Al-Fayha match, adding to existing concerns over Ivan Toney, as covered by Goal, and a group of other first-team players. The accumulation of setbacks has stretched coach Marino Pusic's squad and complicated his preparations at a critical stage of the campaign.

The next fixture brought further frustration. Structural problems in the league caused the Al Khaleej match to be postponed before eventually being played, ending 0-0 according to the structured data, a result that left Al Ahli fifth with 18 points from nine games. Al Ittihad sit fourth on 23 points from ten games, underlining how much ground the club still needs to recover. With fixtures against Al Khaleej and Al Shabaab coming in quick succession, Goal's schedule coverage shows the pressure on Pusic to keep results coming despite his depleted options.