The Second Half of The Saudi Pro League Kicks Off With Many Subplots, Including the Title Race, Reconstituted Teams, and The Relegation Battle
With 15 rounds of fixtures left to play in the Saudi Pro League, the second half of the season that starts this week is bound to produce some exciting action. An extended winter break allowed teams to train with their new signings as players recovered from the rigours of the first half of the season.
Al Hilal head into the second half of the season still unbeaten and seven points clear of their closest opponent, Al Nassr. Recently promoted Al Ahli are in third with Al Taawoun occupying the fourth position.
Due to their signings during the summer, Al Ittihad were pre-season favorites to challenge for the title. However, despite Fabinho, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema on their books, they have only managed to rank fifth in the league.
Another club with similar misfortunes is Steven Gerrard-led Al Ettifaq who are currently in 8th positions. Gerrard will be going into the second half of the season without his star player and captain, Jordan Henderson, who opted to terminate his contract and move to Ajax in the Eredivisie. The former Rangers and Aston Villa manager will be hoping his squad is reeneregized enough to secure a win after going eight matches without a win in the tail end of the first half of the season.
At the bottom of the table, Al Hazm have only managed 13 points and look set to get relegated come the end of the season. Abha are ahead of them with 14 points while Al Tai finish the relegation zone list with 17 points. However, there are many possibilities given that only five points separate tenth-placed Al Khaleej from the relegation zone. The battle for staying up will likely be intense until the last day of the season.
