Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq will look to make it back-to-back wins in the Saudi Pro League when they make the trip to face Abha at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Abha are coming into this encounter on the back of a 1-0 defeat away to Al Tai in their most recent outing, a couple of weeks ago, prior to the international break. The hosts have won two and lost three of their five matches as they sit in the middle of the table.
Al-Ettifaq won't be an easy opponent either. The Commandos have pushed towards the top end of the Saudi Pro League under the tutelage of manager Steven Gerrard. The visitors snapped a two-game winless streak in style by thrashing Damac 3-1 at home on September 2, which moved them up to fifth place in the Saudi Pro League table, just three points adrift of leaders Al-Hilal.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Abha vs Al-Ettifaq kick-off time
| Date: | September 16, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:00 am EDT |
| Venue: | Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium |
The Saudi Pro League match between Al-Ettifaq and Abha will be played at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia.
It will kick off at 8:00 am EDT on September 16, 2023 in the United States (US).
How to watch Abha vs Al-Ettifaq online - TV channels & live streams
 | Shahid | Watch here |
The game will be available to be watched and streamed online live through Shahid. GOAL will have live updates of the game on its Live Match Center page.
Team news & squads
Abha team news
Former AC Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu will continue in between the sticks for Abha, having joined them on a free transfer this past window. Another summer recruit, Polish defensive midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiakhas taken no time in becoming a mainstay in the engine room for Abha.
Saad Dguir could make an instant return to the starting lineup this weekend after missing the hosts' most recent league game via a knock, while a recent loan arrival from Al-Ittihad, Ziyad Al Sahafi, could also make his debut here.
Abha’s marquee striker signing Karl Toko Ekambi got on the scoresheet in his first outing for the club and will be looking to continue his goal-scoring form after to the international break.
Abha possible Xi: Tatarusanu; Amro, Al Kunaydiri, Al Sudaini, Al Hamsal; Al Salouli, Saddiki, Matic, Meziani; Toko Ekambi, Al-Omari.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Epassy, Tatarusanu, Al-Shammari, Jawar |
| Defenders: | Attouchi, Natiq, Naji, Al-Hbeab, Al-Kunaydiri, Al-Oufi, Amro, Al-Qumayzi, Al-Sahafi |
| Midfielders: | Krychowiak, Saddiki, Al-Sudani, Al-Omran, Al-Barakah, Al-Zahrani, Matic, Al-Salouli, Bguir |
| Forwards: | Al-Qaed, Al-Sadi, Al-Jumaiya, Meziani, Caicedo, Toko-Ekambi |
Al-Ettifaq team news
Al-Ettifaq boss Steven Gerrard has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip to Abha and could name a full-strength starting XI here. Having completed an £8m($10m) deadline-day transfer from Everton, newboy Demarai Gray is set to make his Al-Ettifaq debut for the visitors.
The Commandos will be hoping that star striker Moussa Dembele can inflict some damage on his latest opponents by adding to his tally of three Saudi Pro League goals from four games.
Al Ettifaq possible XI: Victor; Yousef, Hendry, Khateeb, Al Shamrani; Hazzazi, Al Ghamdi, Henderson; Quaison, Dembele, Al Kuwaykibi.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Victor, Al-Oaisher, Al-Dawaa, Baljoush |
| Defenders: | Hendry, Tisserand, Velkovski, Al-Mousa, Khateeb, Al-Sayyaf, Al-Shammrani, Al-Hawsawi, Ghazi, Oumar, Yousef |
| Midfielders: | N. Hazazi, Ozdemir, F. Al-Ghamdi, Mahzari, Henderson, A. Hazazi, H. Al-Ghamdi, A. Al-Ghamdi, Al-Dossari, Al-Kuwaykibi |
| Forwards: | Dembele, Quaison, Vitinho, Qarradi, Gray |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 18/5/23 | Abha 2-1 Al-Ettifaq | Saudi Pro League |
| 7/1/23 | Al-Ettifaq 2-1 Abha | Saudi Pro League |
| 20/1/22 | Al-Ettifaq 1-2 Abha | Saudi Pro League |
| 26/8/21 | Abha 1-1 Al-Ettifaq | Saudi Pro League |
| 11/2/21 | Al-Ettifaq 4-1 Abha | Saudi Pro League |