Derby Duel: Historic Ar Rass clash pits attack versus defence

History will be made in Ar Rass on Friday evening when Al Kholood and Al Hazem meet for the first Ar Rass Derby of the Saudi Pro League era.

For sure, the teams have a long and storied rivalry, sharing the modest town in the Al Qassim region, but this will mark the first time to two sides have ever met in the Roshn Saudi League.

Their most recent encounters played out during the 2022-23 Saudi First Division League, with the initial encounter ending in a draw and the second going the way of Al Hazem.

But much has changed since then.

Al Kholood have become a fascination for many onlookers this term after they became the first foreign-owned club in the RSL following the acquisition in the summer by the Harburg Group.

As it is, this represents only Al Kholood’s second season in the top flight after their fantastic debut last season, where they finished ninth. At that time, Al Hazem were working to win their way back to the RSL from Saudi’s second tier.

Having done so, the two clubs now face off in the opening fixture of Matchweek 9 of the 2025-26 season, in what promises to be a fascinating encounter between rivals seeking to establish themselves as RSL staples.

As it stands, Al Kholood are ninth and on a run of three straight defeats having previously strung together a trio of consecutive wins. Halting the rut and heading into the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup break on a winning note should head the agenda for Des Buckingham’s side.

Meanwhile, with Al Hazem having recruited heavily in preparation for their reinstatement to the RSL, they are still looking for a return on that investment.

The promoted side have recorded a solitary victory in their past five league outings, registering only four goals through the first eight rounds between their star-studded attack of Omar Al Somah, Elias Mokwana, Fabio Martins and Amir Sayoud.

At present, Al Hazem sit 14th, two points above the relegation zone.

It’s not the situation new manager Jalel Kadri would’ve been expecting and is a problem he must solve if Al Hazem are to turn around their fortunes. Whether that comes in the form of a tweak in system and formation, or a change in personnel, something needs to change.

At only 7.9, Kadri’s men have one of the lowest Expected Goals tallies of any club in the league, with a differential of -1.9 having scored six goals this season. It ranks well below local rivals Al Kholood who, with new signing Ramiro Enrique shining, have racked up 12 goals from an xG of 10.4.

With Al Hazem's six goals coming from 62 attempts, their shot conversion of 8.1 percent marks the third lowest in the league.

Al Kholood, meanwhile, have the third best, with their dozen goals arriving from 52 attempts to come out at 17.4%. To their credit, that is bettered only by two of this season’s surprise outfits, Al Taawoun and Al Khaleej.

All is not lost for Al Hazem, however. If they are to indeed find an answer to their attacking woes, this feels an opportune time to do it - because they’re coming up against a side with defensive issues of their own.

Al Kholood are one of three sides this campaign yet to keep a clean sheet, which is perhaps explained by the fact they have faced the most shots of any team, with a whopping 121 attempts on their goal.

So Al Hazem can be confident in the fact they will be given opportunities; the question is whether they have found the secret formula during the recent international break to be able to convert those opportunities into goals.

With a frontline featuring the all-time leading scorer in the RSL, in Al Somah, not to mention a talent like Martins who has proven himself for years at this level, you’d have to think it is just a matter of time before it clicks.

For Al Kholood, despite three losses on the bounce, theirs still constitutes an impressive start to the season. Simply surviving was their target for this season but, such is the culture at the club being built by owner Ben Harburg, if they can get back to winning ways those targets might need to be revised.

But in football, the priority often feels purely the next game and the next win, especially when that match is a derby. For now, you can be sure that’s all anyone in Ar Rass will be focused on come the historic kick-off on Friday.