State of Play: How RSL title race looks going into Derby Week | OneFootball

The second Derby Week of this season arrives at a time when the title race in the Roshn Saudi League is So close and fiercely contested that the tension could be cut with a knife.

As the top teams take to the field each and every week, there is a nervous excitement that permeates. All teams have dropped points, while all have had get-out-of-jail performances to steal the three points.

The race took another twist just before the international break with both Al Qadsiah and Al Ahli dropping points to leave Al Ittihad and Al Hilal with the advantage, with just four points separating the fierce rivals.

With leaders Al Ittihad taking on fifth placed Al Ahli in the Sea Derby, runners-up Al Hilal hosting their nearest chasers Al Nassr in the Capital Derby, and Al Qadsiah at fourth welcoming a resurgent Al Ettifaq - who sit seventh - in the Eastern Derby, we look at the run home for each side, the key players and the key matches that will decide their respective fates.

Al Ittihad - 1st - 61 points (+35 goal difference)

It’s been a superb return to form for the 2022-23 champions this season after a disaster of a title defence last season.

Led expertly by Karim Benzema, and with a new coach at the helm in Laurent Blanc, they have looked a different side this season with their off-season recruits all making an impact.

With a four-point lead with nine games to play, their fate rests in their hands.

Key Men

Karim Benzema

The French legend has looked a different player this season, leading the way with 16 goals and eight assists; leading the league for goal contributions this season.

But aside from the goals and assists, the leadership he has provided has been invaluable. With such big game history throughout his career with Real Madrid, there are few situations that would faze the 37-year-old and even when Al Ittihad have looked like dropping points, so often it has been their talisman who has rescued them at the death.

Moussa Diaby

The French winger has been worth every cent Al Ittihad paid to get him from Aston Villa in the off-season, leading the league with assists with 13 to his name so far this season.

With key personnel sidelined with injury in the run home, even more importance will be placed upon the 25-year-old to provide the creativity and spark in the final third.

Saad Al Mousa

One of a handful of Al Ettifaq products who swapped the East Coast for the West, centre-back Saad Al Mousa has been a breathe of fresh air since his arrival, growing into a permanent fixture in Al Ittihad's defensive set-up and earning a place in the most recent national team set-up.

The 22-year-old's calmness on the ball and constantly improving defensive qualities have allowed Blanc to rotate his foreign contingent as needed, fielding either Mario Mitaj or Danilo Pereira as needed, while complying to the eight-man quota and navigating injuries. Al Mousa has made 20 RSL appearances so far and continues to establish himself as one Al Ittihad can build around for many years to come.

Key Matches

Sea Derby vs Al Ahli (6 April)

When the fixture list is released every season, the first fixtures those of either persuasion in Jeddah circle are those against their bitter local rivals.

With Al Ahli dropping back in the title race, after losing to Al Okhdood, they’d love nothing more than to play spoiler for their crosstown rivals when they meet in the first league game back after the international break.

Al Nassr (2 May)

Any match between those heavyweights is a box office affair, and this one will be no different. Al Nassr still harbour title ambitions of their own, so for them they’ll need to take three points off Al Ittihad here if they are to stand any chance.

Al Shabab (21 May)

A trip to face Al Shabab in the penultimate game of the season is a tricky little encounter for Blanc’s side. Smashing six past Al Orobah on the weekend, Al Shabab are now five games undefeated and will be a tough team to navigate at such an important juncture. They are also Al Ittihad's upcoming opponents in the King's Cup semi-final.

How will they cover the loss of key personnel over the final weeks? An injury crisis, of sorts, has struck at Al Ittihad in recent weeks that has sidelined key players at the wrong time of the season.

Steven Bergwijn suffered a foot injury that will keep him sidelined for a few weeks, with the Dutch star returning home to receive treatment. Houssem Aouar also went off against Al Riyadh with a hamstring injury, with the timing of the international break helping him as he recovers from that, but it remains to be seen if he will be fit in time for the Sea Derby.

Mario Mitaj, meanwhile, will undergo abdominal surgery in London. The rare good news on the injury front is defenders Abdulelah Al Amri and Ahmed Shrahili should be fit to return soon.

Al Hilal - 2nd - 57 points (+44 goal difference)

After starting the season where they left off, they were the team to beat again through the opening months of the season.

But a rare form slump in recent months saw them cede control to Al Ittihad and assume the role of the hunter, rather than the hunted. After a stinging 4-1 loss to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico, the scales appeared to have been tipped in Al Ittihad’s favour as they took a seven-point lead.

But you can never count out Jorge Jesus’ side and they sit just four points behind, stalking Al Ittihad waiting for any slip to pounce upon.

Key Men

Aleksandar Mitrovic

The Serbian’s return to full fitness and health can’t come soon enough for Jorge Jesus. This isn’t the first time the Serbian has missed matches since joining Al Hilal, but it’s the first time they’ve felt the effect of it. Marcos Leonardo deputised with plenty of goals, but the presence of Mitrovic adds so much to the Al Hilal attack.

Ruben Neves

The Rolls-Royce of the Al Hilal midfield, he has barely put a foot wrong in blue since arriving from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of last season. Whether it’s breaking up play or his set piece delivery, his importance to this side cannot be overstated, and together with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has forged one of the best midfield duos the league has seen.

Hamad Al Yami

The 25-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Al Shabab, probably didn’t expect to play such a leading run in the final stretch. But the injury to Joao Cancelo has presented an opportunity, with Al Yami looking like he’ll be given first crack at deputising for the Portuguese fullback over the remaining months of the season.

Capital Derby vs Al Nassr (5 April)

So much hinges on the results of Derby Week across the country, and that is certainly the case in Riyadh where Al Nassr will be desperate to take three points to keep themselves in the hunt. The Capital Derby is always a must-watch and this will be no different.

Al Shabab (23 April)

Like with Al Ittihad, a clash with Al Shabab is a tricky one to navigate, especially so for Al Hilal given this history of the rivalry between the two clubs. If their past few matches are anything to go by, this should be a cracker.

Al Qadsiah (27 May)

This is no easy way for Al Hilal to finish the season, especially after Al Qadsiah inflicted defeat on Al Hilal earlier in the season in dramatic fashion. If Al Hilal need something from this game, they’ll be made to work incredibly hard for it against Michel’s side that have been a revelation this season. And who knows? If results go their way, either team could be going into this game with the title 90 minutes away.

Are they out of their form slump? Their 2-0 win over Al Taawoun was, remarkably, the first time they’ve recorded back-to-back wins in the league since January, which seems incomprehensible for a side that didn’t lose a single game last season.

Across February and March, in all competitions they won only two of seven, and lost three of four, before now stringing together three on the bounce (including their win over Pakhtakor in the AFC Champions League Elite).

So have they turned a corner or are they still vulnerable over the final few months?

The Chasing Pack

Slightly further back are Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah, both locked on 51 points. With only nine games remaining, a ten-point margin is a significant one to try and bridge, and at 13 points, that gap is even more difficult to close for al Ahli, but none of the trio will give up on until its mathematically impossible.

Al Qadsiah will be frustrated by their loss against Damac that saw them drop from third spot and slip a further three points behind.

Al Nassr, meanwhile, will also be rueing their own dropped points, against Ettifaq, Al Orobah and Al Shabab that have dropped them out of the direct title fight at the top of the table.

But with Ronaldo’s side having games against both of the top two, they’ll still fancy their chances of clawing their way back into contention.