Al-Ahli will welcome league leaders Al-Nassr to King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, January 2, 2026, for matchday 12 of the Roshn Saudi League.
The Al-Malaki have suffered only one defeat all season, while Al-Alami will look to return to winning ways after being held to a draw by Al Ettifaq on Tuesday, which saw their lead cut to just two points by Al-Hilal.
Match preview
Al-Ahli head into this high-profile Saudi Pro League fixture sitting fourth in the 2025–26 Saudi League standings with 22 points from 11 matches, a record of six wins, four draws and just one defeat that underlines a strong and consistent league campaign and keeps them firmly in contention for continental qualification places as the season enters the New Year.
Under head coach Matthias Jaissle, Al-Ahli have balanced domestic league commitments with notable success in cup competitions, highlighted by their Saudi Super Cup triumph over Al-Nassr in August 2025, when they won 5–3 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in regulation time to secure silverware and gain a psychological edge ahead of this latest league meeting between the rivals.
Al-Ahli’s season reached a historic high point with their triumph in the 2025 AFC Champions League Elite, as the Jeddah club defeated Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale 2–0 in the final to lift Asia’s premier club competition for the first time in their history and cement their status among the continent’s elite.
In league action over recent months, Al-Ahli have shown resilience and attacking intent, with victories over Al Fayha and Al Qadsiah and an impressive away win against Al Ittihad in November highlighting their ability to compete against top opposition, while draws with Al Riyadh and Al Shabab further reflect the competitive balance of their campaign.
While goals have been spread across the squad, Ivan Toney has been the standout attacking figure, with the striker leading Al-Ahli’s league scoring with five goals and topping the club’s overall charts for the season with 14 goals from 21 appearances in all competitions.
Al-Ahli come into Friday’s fixture having won three of their last six matches across all competitions, most recently claiming a 2–0 home victory over Al Fayha on December 30 after a 2–1 away defeat to Al Fateh on December 26, with the run also including a 5–0 AFC Champions League win away to Al-Shorta, a narrow friendly loss to Raja Casablanca, a penalty shootout victory over Al Qadsiah in the King’s Cup and a 1–0 home defeat to Al Sharjah, during which they scored 12 goals and conceded eight.
Historically, this fixture has been closely contested, with Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr having met 86 times since their first recorded encounter in 1971, each recording 34 wins alongside 18 draws, while Al-Ahli hold a narrow goalscoring edge with 138 goals to Al-Nassr’s 131.
However, in more recent meetings victories have been harder to come by for Al-Ahli, as Al-Nassr have won three and drawn two of the last six encounters, aside from Al-Ahli’s penalty shootout success in the Saudi Super Cup in August.
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Al-Nassr arrive for the clash as league leaders and remain unbeaten in the 2025–26 Saudi League, sitting top of the table with 31 points from 11 matches after dropping points for the first time this season in their most recent league outing against Al Ettifaq, having previously opened the campaign with 10 consecutive wins.
That remarkable run included a 3–0 victory over Al Okhdood on December 27, 2025, which saw Al-Nassr become the first club in Saudi Pro League history to win their opening 10 matches of a season, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice to further underline his influence on the team’s historic start.
The perfect sequence of victories was halted on December 30 when Al-Nassr were held to a 2–2 away draw by Al Ettifaq, a result that ended their winning streak but preserved their unbeaten record and kept them atop the standings, with Ronaldo once again on the scoresheet to finish his prolific 2025 with more than 30 goals across all competitions.
Under head coach Jorge Jesus, Al-Nassr’s attacking strength has been a defining feature of their season, with offensive output led by Ronaldo and supported by Joao Felix and other attacking options, enabling the team to maintain a high tempo and a consistent goal threat in both domestic and continental competitions.
Their recent form has been formidable, with Al-Nassr recording a 3–0 home win over Al Okhdood, a 4–1 victory against Al Khaleej, and a 3–1 success over Al Fayha, in addition to impressive away results, including a 3–1 win at Neom SC and a 2–0 triumph against Al Hazem earlier in the sequence, alongside the 2–2 draw with Al Ettifaq.
Across their last six league matches, Al-Nassr have collected five wins and one draw, scoring 16 goals and conceding just four, a run that further reinforces their status as the league’s most potent attacking side and one of its most solid defensive units heading into this marquee encounter.
Al-Ahli Saudi Pro League form:
Al-Ahli form (all competitions):
Al-Nassr Saudi Pro League form:
Al-Nassr form (all competitions):
Team News
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Al-Ahli will be without several key players due to international commitments and suspensions, with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, midfielder Franck Kessie, and winger Riyad Mahrez all unavailable because of their involvement in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Defender Roger Ibanez is suspended following his red card against Al Fayha, while Mohammed Abdulrahman and Yassin Al-Zubaidi have joined the Saudi Arabia Under-23 squad for the AFC Asian Cup, and Abdullah Otayf remains sidelined with an ACL injury.
Goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Sanbi expected to continue in goal in place of Mendy with Mohammed Sulaiman likely to partner Merih Demiral in central defence.
Al-Nassr also have absentees to manage, with defenders Mohamed Simakan and Saad Al-Nasser sidelined with muscle and ACL injuries respectively, while midfielder Sami Al-Najei is out with an ankle injury.
Sadio Mane is unavailable due to AFCON commitments, while Salem Al Najdi, Abdulmalik Al Jaber, and Abdulrahman Sufyani have joined the Saudi Arabia U23 squad for the AFC Asian Cup.
Al-Ahli possible starting lineup:
Sanbi; Majrashi, Demiral, Sulaiman, Hawsawi; Aljohani, Edoa, Goncalves; Galeno, Al-Buraikan, Toney
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Al-Aqidi; Al-Ghannam, Martinez, Al-Amri, Nasser; Brozovic, Angelo, Wesley; Coman, Felix, Ronaldo
We say: Al-Ahli 1-3 Al-Nassr
Al-Ahli are expected to suffer their second defeat of the season on Friday against an in-form Al-Nassr side, who are eager to secure the league title for the first time since the 2018/19 season.
Despite dropping points against Al Ettifaq on Tuesday, Al-Nassr boast the league’s top scorers in Ronaldo and Felix, both with 13 goals this season, giving them the ability to outscore any team and making them strong favourites to win, having also dominated this fixture in recent years.
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