Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis wants more days on the training pitch before the 27th Gulf Cup, and the Greek's push could force changes to the season calendar and leave the Clasico between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad in danger of postponement.
The 27th Gulf Cup kicks off in Jeddah on 23 September. Six days earlier, on the 17th, the eighth round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League gets under way with Al-Hilal facing Al-Ittihad.
According to sources at "Arriyadiyah", Donis plans to lodge an official request in the coming days to bring the national team's preparation forward and claim seven extra days. He would then approach the Saudi Pro League's competitions department to explore rescheduling the eighth round of the Roshn League.
Approve the Greek's request and the relevant bodies will start coordinating with the competitions department at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation over the King's Cup round of 16, set for 19 and 20 October.
Pulling it off looks anything but simple. The Saudi season is already crammed with domestic, continental and international commitments.
An official source told "Arriyadiyah" that extending the national team's camp by a week looks difficult, given the pile-up of matches and the narrow windows left to tweak the calendar.
Reshuffling the eighth round and finding new slots for its matches would be a major headache, the source explained, especially with clubs locked into a raft of commitments across the season and few dates left to squeeze in the postponed fixtures.
The knock-on effects stretch beyond the Clasico. This same window also holds Al-Ahli's clash with South Africa's Sundowns on 19 September, should the Saudi side see off New Zealand's Auckland City in the 2026 Intercontinental Cup.