Analysis and predictions for Al Raed vs Al Ittihad: Benzema scores, a new champion emerges.
The match between Al Raed and Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League will take place at 1:00 AM on May 16th. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes the teams' form, provides football commentary, and predicts the score.
Latest team news for Al Raed vs Al Ittihad
Al Raed have almost a full squad, with the sole exception of midfielder Mohammed Fouzair, who underwent surgery in November and will not return until next season.
Striker Karim El Berkaoui – who has scored 11 goals for Al Raed this season – is likely to continue leading the attack.
On the Al Ittihad side, Moussa Diaby will return to the starting lineup after missing the last match due to a suspension after receiving a red card in the game against Al Nassr.
Diaby's return will likely push Unai Hernandez back to the bench, with the attacking trio behind Benzema consisting of Diaby, Abdulrahman Al Oboud, and Houssem Aouar.
Latest predicted lineups for Al Raed vs Al Ittihad
Al Raed:
Moreira; Al-Rajeh, Gonzalez, Qasmi, Al Jayzani; Hazazi, Abeid, Al Amri; Al Hawsawi, El Berkaoui, Bouzok
Al Ittihad:
Rajkovic; Al Shanqeeti, Al Mousa, Kadish, Mitaj; Kante, Fabinho; Al Obud, Aouar, Diaby; Benzema,
Latest football match prediction: Al Raed vs Al Ittihad
Al Ittihad are closing in on the championship title, currently leading by 6 points over second-placed Al Hilal. Another victory, combined with Al Hilal's slip-up against Al Fateh, could secure the Jeddah-based team the title.
In their most recent match, Al Ittihad easily defeated Al Fayha 3-0, with a brace from Karim Benzema and an own goal from Mohammed Kareem Al Baqawi, extending their winning streak to three consecutive matches in the league.
Laurent Blanc's team will go into Thursday's match aiming for their second consecutive away win – something they haven't achieved since February. They recently ended a four-game winless streak away from home with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Al Nassr.
With the motivation to win the championship, Al Ittihad is expected to easily secure all three points. Benzema himself is also aiming to close the gap with Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the top scorer title – Ronaldo currently has 23 goals, two more than Benzema.
Conversely, the 0-1 defeat against Damak last weekend officially relegated Al Raed, bringing to a close a disappointing season in which they lost 22 out of 31 matches played.
With only 6 wins and 3 draws, Al Raed currently has 21 points, 11 points behind the safety zone with only 3 rounds remaining in the season, making survival virtually impossible.
This is a sad milestone for the club, which was one of five teams that had never been relegated since the Saudi Pro League was officially established in the 2008-09 season, along with Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Shabab.
Their home form has also been very disappointing, with 10 consecutive home games without a win (1 draw, 9 losses), their last home victory being in mid-November last year.
Raed Al Tahadi also conceded two or more goals in 8 of those 10 home games, and they have a very poor head-to-head record against Al Ittihad, winning only 2 out of 17 times hosting them at home.
Latest Al Raed vs Al Ittihad score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Al Raed vs Al Ittihadas follows:
- Sportsmole:Al Raed 0-2 Al Ittihad
- WhoScore:Al Raed 1-3 Al Ittihad
- Our newspaper predicts:Al Raed 0-3 Al Ittihad
When and where can I watch Al Raed vs Al Ittihad live?
To watch the Al Raed vs Al Ittihad match live in the Saudi Pro League, taking place at 1:00 AM on May 16th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.
