Analysis: Al-Nassr's rockets could shock Al-Ittihad at their point of strength!

Under Laurent Blanc, Al-Ittihad live and die by their full-backs. Fares Abdi and Al-Julaidan push high into the attacking third relentlessly, hunting a numerical advantage out wide and whipping crosses into the box.

That approach hands "the Dean" real attacking punch. It brings fresh bodies into the final third and keeps the opposition defence under constant pressure.

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There is a catch, though. Full-backs bombing forward leave gaping holes behind them, especially the moment the ball is lost. Those spaces can become a glaring weakness if Al-Ittihad are slow in their defensive transition or their midfielders fail to cover quickly.

This is exactly where Al-Nassr smell blood. They have the pace to turn those gaps into lightning counter-attacks, and they could make Al-Ittihad's sharpest attacking weapon the very thing that costs them goals.

Al-Nassr, in particular, have the players to punish this kind of space in ruthless fashion. Sadio Mane and Kingsley Coman offer pace and direct running in behind the defensive line. With Al-Ittihad's full-backs pushing forward, the pair could find acres to attack.

It doesn't stop with Mane and Coman. Angelo can drift onto that flank at times to create an attacking overload, so Al-Nassr may look to target the side where the Al-Ittihad full-back advances, then fire the ball quickly into the space left behind him.

Win the ball in midfield and switch it swiftly to the flanks, and Al-Nassr could turn a defensive situation into a one-on-one or a direct confrontation within seconds.

Al-Ittihad face another danger if they fail to keep their lines compact: the gaps that occasionally open up between midfield and defence. That is precisely where Joao Felix could seize control of the match.

The Portuguese needs very little room. Find a channel between the lines, receive the ball, and he can thread a pass that splits the defensive setup, especially if Mane or Coman time a run in behind at the same moment.

So the threat is twofold. Al-Ittihad must worry about pace on the flanks, but also about the pass from deep that exploits the space between the lines.

Al-Ittihad's answer may lie in turning Al-Nassr's own drive against them. Win possession while the Al-Nassr players are committed forward in numbers, and space opens up on the far side. That is where "the Doyen" can strike, backing fast, organised counters rather than trading blows in an open game.

Those transitions have to be calculated. Lose the ball against a side boasting Mane and Coman and the punishment could be brutal. Get it right, though, and Al-Nassr's push forward becomes the very thing that lets Al-Ittihad race towards goal, especially if they can play the ball straight in behind the midfield.

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The real battle in the Clasico, then, may have nothing to do with who sees more of the ball. It comes down to who manages the spaces. Al-Ittihad's attacking surge ranks among their greatest strengths, yet it could become their glaring weakness if they leave the areas behind their full-backs unguarded.

Al-Nassr, by contrast, carry the perfect tools to punish those gaps. Mane, Coman and Angelo will fancy a golden chance to weaponise Al-Ittihad's own drive against them.

Al-Ittihad must attack. What matters more is knowing when to attack and when to shut down the spaces, because Al-Nassr's rockets need only a single moment to launch.