Damac look to Vada, and others, in search for record-busting win

Saturday’s Roshn Saudi League clash between Al Shabab and Damac is a game both are desperate to win, but one in which the sense is that neither can afford to lose.

It’s been far from the desired start to the season for both teams, with Al Shabab, under new manager Imanol Alguacil, yet to find their groove.

After five matchweeks, they have a solitary win to sit in a lowly 13th going into this round. For sure, it’s well below expectations for a side with the talent Al Shabab possess.

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Things are even worse for Damac, though. The Khamis Mushait club are yet to taste victory this campaign and are rooted in the relegation zone. With a new manager of their own in Portuguese Armando Evangelista, they have a single point from a possible 15.

Still, being only five games into a 34-game season it’s not quite desperation stakes for both teams. But, certainly, they need to get going.

History isn’t on Damac’s side, either. They’ve won only once against Al Shabab in 12 matches during the Saudi Pro League era - that coming at home in October last year.

Even more ominously, Damac are yet to record an away win against any of the RSL’s Riyadh-based teams in 20 attempts, losing 16 and drawing four. It’s hardly the type of record to instill much confidence.

But, as they say, records are there to be broken.

Perhaps explaining some of the early season struggle for Damac is the departure of star forward Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

The Cameroon international had been a revelation in his two seasons for Damac after arriving from Turkiye’s Besiktas, finishing with tallies of 15 and 13 goals respectively across the past two seasons.

N’Koudou was a big presence on and off the pitch and, at times, single-handedly helped pull Damac up the standings.

But his decision to leave in the summer, for the exciting project at Al Diriyah, left a gaping hole in the club’s attack. Doing his best to fill that, however, is Argentine midfielder Valentin Vada, who signed in August after time in France, Spain and, most recently, in Russia with Rubin Kazan.

The 30-year-old has hit the ground running with three goals and two assists, matching Kingsley Coman (this season), Nasser Al Shamrani (2012) and Mohammed Al Sahlawi (2014) as the only players to have recorded goal contributions in each of the opening five rounds of an RSL campaign.

No player has ever recorded goal involvements in each of the first six matchweeks, so a slice of history beckons for Vada if he can find the back of the net against Al Shabab or provide another assist.

While simply looking at goals and assists suggests he is the replacement for N’Koudou, they are very different types of players. N’Koudou was more of a left winger and looked to use his pace to exploit space, whereas Vada operates as an attacking midfielder. A creator-in-chief, if you will.

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That’s supported by his stats. Not only does he rank No.1 this season at Damac for both goals and assists, he does also for ball contacts, shots, and chances created. Almost everything at Damac thus far has gone through Vada.

But as impressive as he has been, he cannot do it all himself. Nabil Alioui’s untimely injury hasn’t helped matters, but it’s obvious Vada needs support in attack.

And it is very much a new-look frontline for 2025-26, with Vada, Alioui and Jesus Medina all recruited during the off-season. And with a new manager as well, it was always going to take some time at Damac for the team to gel.

But, even at this early stage, time is no longer on their side; what they need more than anything now is a win. While Vada can create some positive history of his own this weekend, Damac are looking to avoid an unwanted piece of their own.

Winless in their past eight RSL games, failure to take all three points would see them equal their longest-ever winless streak of nine games, recorded between May and September 2023.

Only six matchweeks into the RSL season and there is already so much on the line. Damac require a significant boost, whether derived from the in-form Vada or not.