Saudi Pro League April Recap: Title Race Heats Up and Transfer Strategies Shift
The excitement has continued in the Saudi Pro League unabated. The quality of the football on display has surged as sides have stepped up their efforts in the run-in. At the top end, there are just six points between the top two sides with six matches left to play.
The side in third and the side in sixth are separated by just six points as the race for qualification into next season’s Asian Champions League heats up. Here are the key highlights from the Saudi Pro League in the Month of April.
Title Race Developments
Al Ittihad’s Continued Lead
Al Ittihad remain at the top of the pile with six matches to go. However, April has had its ups and downs for the leaders. On April 17, Al Ittihad suffered a surprising 2-0 defeat away to Al Fateh, which saw their lead at the top cut down to four points, and reinvigorated the title race.
However, the leaders bounced back on April 21st to beat Al Ettifaq 3-2 in a thrilling clash that saw Laurent Blanc’s side return to winning ways in the Saudi Pro League. As the run-in heats up, with Al Hilal applying the pressure, Al Ittihad might have shown a chink in their armour. However, they still remain leaders and odds-on to claim the title as it stands.
Al Hilal’s Setbacks and Responses
The reigning champions, Al Hilal, were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Al Shabab on April 21st. This result was a major setback for Jorge Jesus’ side as a win could have cut the gap down to four points with six matches remaining to play.
Instead, the loss meant that they could not capitalize and lost ground, with Al Ittihad winning 3-2 against Al Ettifaq on the same day.
Al Hilal have been brilliant in the AFC Champions League; they overcame Pakhtakor 4-1 on aggregate last month and are set to face Gwangju on April 25th in the first leg of the quarter-final. They will be hoping to go all the way, given the gap in the Saudi Pro League to Al Ittihad, who have to be the favorites at this stage.
Al Nassr’s Mixed Form and Continental Focus
Although Al Nassr are still third on the Saudi Pro League table, they have fallen further from the top two. They currently have 57 points after 28 rounds of fixtures, and sit five points behind second-placed Al Hilal and 11 points adrift of the leaders Al Ittihad, albeit having played a match less than the two sides at the top.
Their form shows that they have 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 defeat in their last five matches, which means they have dropped five points that could have been instrumental in overhauling the sides above them on the table.
The month of April opened for Al Nassr with a scintillating 1-3 win against Al Hilal, followed by a 2-1 win at home to Al Riyadh. However, on April 18, they lost 2-1 away to Al Qadsiah, losing ground in the title race and failing to capitalize on the inconsistencies of Al Ittihad and Al Hilal.
Al Nassr are also in the quarter-final of the AFC Champions League, and the first leg on April 26 will take them to Yokohama F Marinos. They will hope to keep their continental avenue to silverware alive with a win on aggregate against their Japanese J1 League opponents.
Transfer Rumors and Strategic Shift
Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal announced in April a strategic shift in the recruitment approach to be adopted by the Saudi Pro League. Speaking about Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Al-Faisal said that Salah would be a perfect fit for the Saudi Pro League, but the trend is towards younger players.
Speaking at the Saudi Formula One Grand Prix, Al Faisal called Mohamed Salah an icon Arab Muslim, and he fits with the identity of playing in the Saudi Pro League. After bringing players, such as Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo (40), Al Ittihad’s Karim Benzema (37), and Al Nassr’s Sadio Mane (33), the league will focus on younger players as they bid to lay the groundwork for more competitiveness, quality and a focus of players at the prime of their careers.
In other transfer rumors, Liverpool’s Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez have signalled openness to moves to the Saudi Pro League. This high league’s growing influence, quality, and escalating financial attractiveness to players.
