Sports Mole previews Monday’s Saudi Pro League clash between Al Tai and Al Okhdood, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
In a high-stakes showdown on the final day of the season, two sides within the relegation zone face off with their potential Saudi Pro League survival on the line.
Al Okhdood are in 17th with 30 points, leaving them two points away from safety, while Al Tai are a point better off in the final relegation place.
Match preview
Al Tai come into this game just a point behind both Abha and Al Riyadh, meaning if the hosts are victorious and either of those sides lose then their safety will be guaranteed.
They could also secure safety with a draw if Al Riyadh are to lose having beaten them in both meetings this season, while Abha would survive if they finish level on points having won 2-1 on aggregate across the campaign.
While the season has been a disappointment as a whole for Al Tai, a run of one win in 12 games from December to April saw the Knight of The North drop from 12th place into 17th.
A recent upturn in form that has coincided with the hiring of Leonardo Ramos as the new boss has seen Al Tai take eight points from their last six matches, keeping them in the fight for survival.
Ramos’s men will now host fellow relegation-battling Al Okhdood at the Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa’ed Stadium, where they have picked up 22 of their 31 points this season and have gone unbeaten in their last three games.
Al Okhdood’s form has also seen a slight increase in recent weeks, bringing an end to an eight-game winless run with six points from their last five outings.
While that may not be a significant number of points it has been enough to keep Al Okhdood in with a fighting chance of survival on the final day, with a win potentially being enough if either Abha or Al Riyadh lose.
The visitors were the victors in the reverse fixture between the two earlier in the campaign and Noureddine Zekri will be hoping his side can take three points again here.
That may be a difficult task for Al Okhdood though, having only won on two occasions when playing on the road this season, ranking 15th for away results.
Al Tai Saudi Pro League form:
Al Okhdood Saudi Pro League form:
Team News
The hosts could be without up to four players for this crucial match for their survival hopes.
Abdulkarim Al-Sulaiman and Hussain Qasim have both been out for a sustained period of time due to cruciate ligament injuries and they remain out for this one.
Bernard Mensah was taken off against Al Hilal with an injury and is doubtful here, while Enzo Roco missed the last outing and is also a doubt.
As for the visitors, Solomon Kvirkvelia was forced off in the 17th minute of their last outing and is not expected to feature against Al Tai.
Outside of that, they could line up with the same team from their last outing against Al Wehda.
Al Tai possible starting lineup:
Al-Baqaawi; Al-Toiawy, Alnakhli, Bauer, Majrashi; Mohammed, Bajandouh; Asiri, Aljohani, Cordea; Dugandzic
Al Okhdood possible starting lineup:
Vitor; Faraj, Assery, Al-Rabiei, Al-Mansour; Al-Habib; Al-Zubaidi, Collado, Pedroza, Godwin; Tawamba
We say: Al Tai 2-1 Al Okhdood
Al Tai’s form since the arrival of new boss Ramos has been considerably improved and with the visitors struggling away from home this season, we believe the hosts will win this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.