Al-Ittihad are edging closer to a swift return on their deal for Colombian Richard Rios. The new Benfica loanee has landed in Jeddah and is ready to join the final preparations before Saturday evening's eagerly awaited Clasico against Al-Nassr in the fifth round of the Roshn League.
According to sources at the Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah", Rios will train with Al-Ittihad after sunset on Friday ahead of the big clash. He touched down at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah at ten o'clock on Thursday evening, aboard a private jet laid on by the club's management to speed up his arrival and hand him a better chance of joining the build-up.
The same sources say the player is now ready from a technical standpoint. Whether he features against Al-Nassr rests with German coach Jens Wiesing, Al-Ittihad's technical director, who will decide on including him in the final squad for the Clasico once he has watched his condition in the last training session.
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Getting Rios to Jeddah so quickly hands the technical staff a chance to assess him before one of the season's biggest matches. Al-Ittihad signed him on loan from Benfica during the current transfer window, a deal designed to bolster the midfield and give the team more solutions and tactical flexibility.
Rios steps into a potential Clasico that matters enormously to Al-Ittihad, who sit sixth in the Roshn League on 8 points from two wins and two draws. Al-Nassr occupy second place with 12 points, behind leaders Al-Hilal on goal difference.
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Should Wiesing turn to the Colombian, Rios could be handed a lightning-quick start with "Al-Ameed" in a fixture of the highest difficulty. That would make his debut a direct test of his abilities and just how fast he can settle into his new team.
Al-Ittihad's fans are hanging on Wiesing's decision. The private jet says plenty about the club's determination to get him ready as quickly as possible, yet the key question lingers: will the coach gamble on the new arrival against Al-Nassr, or hold him back for a later match?
