Faltering Saudi Pro League defending champions Al-Ittihad host runners-up Al-Nassr for a heavyweight Boxing Day affair on Tuesday night at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
The Tigers have blown hot and cold in recent weeks. They were dumped out of the FIFA Club World Cup following a 3-1 defeat to African champions Al-Ahly at the King Abdullah Sports City last Friday, and suffered another defeat with the same scoreline in the league against Al-Raed over the weekend.
The loss leaves Marcelo Gallardo's side a massive 22 points behind leaders Al-Hilal and nine points behind Al-Ahli for third and a place in the AFC Champions League Elite next season.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, beat Al-Ettifaq 3-1 last Friday to move back to 10 points behind Al-Hilal for first in the table, but with a game in hand.
Alex Telles marked his return from a muscle issue with a stunning strike for the opening goal on Friday, Marcelo Brozovic bagged his first of the domestic campaign and Cristiano Ronaldo picked up his 17th from 12 yards, moving ahead of Aleksandar Mitrovic in the Saudi top-flight goal-scoring charts.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Al-Ittihad vs Al-Nassr kick-off time
| Date: | Tuesday, December 26, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 6pm GMT |
| Venue: | Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium |
The Saudi Pro League encounter between Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr will be played at the Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, with kick-off set at 6pm GMT for fans in the UK.
How to watch Ittihad vs Nassr online - TV channels & live streams
 | Shahid | Watch here |
The game will be shown live onShahid in the US. Highlights will be made available on the platform after the game. Live updates can be accessedhere on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Al-Ittihad team news
Al-Ittihad will be definitely without the services of Madallah Alolayan on Tuesday after the defender picked up a straight red card against Al-Raed on Sunday evening.
The 29-year-old will be joined on the sidelines by the likes of Muhannad Shanqeeti, Omar Hawsawi,and Aseel Abed, who are nursing respective knocks.
Goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Jadaani is expected to miss out on the January fixtures as he continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament tear, meaning Abdullah Al-Mayouf will likely be handed an extended stretch of games between the sticks for this game.
Al-Ittihad possible XI: Al-Mayouf; Al-Sahafi, Felipe, Fabinho, Bamsaud; Kante, Al-Farhan; Romarinho, Al-Ghamdi, Al-Amri; Benzema
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Grohe, Al-Mayouf, Al-Mermesh |
| Defenders: | Al-Jaadi, Sharahili, Al-Manhali, O. Hawsawi, Abed, Bamsaud, Z. Hawsawi, Kadesh, Al-Olayan, Shanqeeti |
| Midfielders: | Fabinho, Al-Nashri, Al-Farhan, Al-Ghamdi, Coronado, Al-Sahafi, Al-Shamrani, Al-Amri, Al-Oboud |
| Forwards: | Benzema, Hamdallah, Camara, Haji |
Al-Nassr team news
Colombian shot-stopper David Ospina is yet to be registered for the side and will remain unavailable for selection. Right-back Nawaf Al-Boushal is still recovering from an injury, and will miss this one, but Khalid Al-Ghannam is back available after missing time earlier this season because of physical discomfort.
After seeing his side breeze past Al-Ettifaq last time out, Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro could be tempted to select a similar starting lineup for this vital clash, which would see their talisman and captain Cristiano Ronaldo lead the charge up top, with Anderson Talisca, Otavio, and Sadio Mane forming the usual supporting cast.
Al-Nassr possible XI: Al-Aqidi; Al-Ghannam, Lajami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Al-Aqidi, Al-Najjar, Abdullah |
| Defenders: | Laporte, Al-Amri, Madu, Lajami, Al-Fatil, Telles, Qasem, S. Al-Ghannam, Al-Boushal |
| Midfielders: | Brozovic, Al-Khaibari, Al-Hassan, Fofana, Al-Sulaiheem, Talisca, Al-Najei, Ghareeb, K. Al-Ghannam, Al-Aliwa, Otavio, Yahya |
| Forwards: | Ronaldo, Maran, Mane, Al-Nemer |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 9/3/23 | Al-Ittihad 1-0 Al-Nassr | Saudi Pro League |
| 26/1/23 | Al-Ittihad 3-1 Al-Nassr | Saudi Super Cup |
| 2/10/22 | Al-Nassr 0-0 Al-Ittihad | Saudi Pro League |
| 11/2/22 | Al-Ittihad 3-0 Al-Nassr | Saudi Pro League |
| 18/9/21 | Al-Nassr 1-3 Al-Ittihad | Saudi Pro League |