The Roshn Saudi League concludes its matchweek 12 on Sunday, with third-placed Al Taawoun out to maintain their unbeaten run. Elsewhere, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Al Ahli are searching for a rebound result following defeat in the last round.

Al Taawoun v Damac

Key stat:

Throughout his RSL career, Al Taawoun boss Pericles Chamusca has faced Damac eight times, winning four times, drawing twice and losing just once. He is unbeaten in two encounters against them, with Al Taawoun winning 2-1 on the road and drawing 1-1 at home last season.

Players to watch:

Joao Pedro – Al Taawoun:  Since joining the club from UAE’s Al Wahda ahead of matchweek 6, the Brazilian forward has found the back of the net in four of his six appearances for the Wolves. He is five goals away from his personal best in RSL: nine goals in 21 appearances while playing for Al Fateh in 2017-18.

Georges-Kevin N’Koudou – Damac: Hilal Soudani was Damac’s top scorer in the RSL last season with six goals. N’Koudou is already on five with just 11 matches played. His goal in the 2-0 win over Al Okhdood last time out saw him edge ahead of Assan Ceesay as the team’s top scorer this campaign. 

Did you know?  

Damac are the only RSL club whose name does not start with “Al”. The club is named after the Damac mountain in Khamis Mushait located in the southwest of Saudi Arabia.

Al Hazem v Al Wehda

Key stat:

After failing to win any of their first 10 matches, Al Hazem are unbeaten in their past two following the appointment of Jose Carreno as their new boss, beating Al Raed 4-3 and drawing 2-2 against Al Ittihad.

Players to watch:

Toze – Al Hazem: The Portuguese playmaker has contributed to six goals in his past seven matches, scoring three times and assisting as many. No player at Al Hazem has more goals than Toze this season.

Craig Goodwin – Al Wehda: Despite playing only six matches since his arrival from Adelaide United, the Australian forward has already matched his best scoring tally in the RSL, netting five goals. He had previously scored four in 29 matches in his first stint at the club in 2019-20, and two in 16 appearances for Abha the following season.

Did you know?

While managing Al Wehda in 2019-20, Carreno beat his current team Al Hazem 5-1 in his only match against them. That season, Al Wehda finished fourth in the table while Al Hazem were relegated after finishing 15th.

Al Ahli v Al Riyadh

Key stat: 

Despite occupying fifth place, Al Ahli have the poorest defence in the top half of the table, having conceded 17 goals, joint with Al Fateh and Damac. However, they have the fourth-best attack in the league with 21 goals scored, joint with Al Ittihad and Al Taawoun.

Riyad Mahrez – Al Ahli: No player has created as many scoring chances as Mahrez in the RSL this season (37). The Algerian also tops the league’s assists charts with six and is his side’s joint top scorer with four goals.

Saleh Al Abbas - Al Riyadh: Among Saudi players in the RSL, only Salem Al Dawsari (6) and Feras Al Buraikan (5) have more goals than Al Abbas (4). The 29-year-old has also assisted two times, meaning his goal contributions account for 54% of Al Riyadh’s goals this term.

Did you know?

Al Ahli have not picked any points against teams from Riyadh this season, losing to Al Nassr 4-3 and Al Hilal 3-1. Meanwhile, Al Riyadh lost their match against the other Jeddah team, Al Ittihad, 4-0.