Al-Feiha vs Al-Nasr: Will Ronaldo's team get their first win?
On Tuesday, August 27, the second round match of the Saudi Arabian Championship between Al-Faiha and Al-Nasr will take place at the King Abdullah Stadium in the city of Buraydah.
The team, which finished last season in the middle of the tournament table (9th place, 44 points in 34 matches and a goal difference of "-8"), underwent changes on the coaching bridge in the summer. Instead of the Serbian Vkua Rasovic, the Greek Christos Kontis took the helm, and so far his debut cannot be called successful. Al-Feiha lost in the opening round of the new championship to Al-Taawun (0:1), and conceded the decisive goal while playing with a majority in the 90+5 minute.
In Kontis's defense, it can be said that the new coach found himself in a very sad situation when it comes to personnel. Of the foreign players available for selection, only Zambian Sakala remains. Another African leader of the Al-Faihi attack, Nigerian Onyekuru, is injured. And Bosnian defensive midfielder Cimirot had family circumstances, due to which he was unable to play in the first round of the new season. And it is not yet clear whether the midfielder will solve his problems.
Last round, Al-Faihy had only five players on the bench. A difficult situation before the battle with one of the giants, and one that is angry after a disastrous start to the campaign.
Al-Nasr
Luis Castro's charges continue to disappoint their fans and, what is even more important for Saudi realities, the club's management. After failing in the Super Cup final and being routed by archrivals Al-Hilal (1:4), Al-Nasr also managed to lose points in the first round of the Saudi League, drawing at home against Al-Raed (1:1). The underdog responded to Ronaldo's goal in the first half with a goal of his own at the start of the second 45 minutes, and the spectators did not see any more productive attacks in this match.
Can we already talk about some kind of crisis in Al-Nasr? Perhaps, at least in terms of psychology – quite. Ronaldo is already noticeably nervous, not hesitating to criticize his teammates right during matches. The rest of the team’s legionnaires do not show even half of their capabilities in the game. There are also questions about the work of the coaching staff.
At the same time, Al-Nasr does not seem to have any tangible personnel problems. All the legionnaires, including Mane, Brozovic, Talisca, Teles, Laporte, Otavio and, of course, Ronaldo, are healthy and ready to play. But there are plenty of questions about the motivation of some of them. The same Laporte, it seems, is not averse to returning to Europe, judging by the latest news. And getting ready for Al-Feiha and Al-Raed, when Real Madrid is on the horizon, is quite a task.
We suggest betting on the "minus handicap" of the guests from Riyadh. There is an assumption that the home team will not be able to score, and therefore Al-Nasr's victory with a handicap of (-2) for odds of 1.89 is an option that, in the worst case scenario, will provide a "return" on the bet. For more risky bettors, there is a bet on a handicap of (-2.5) or even (-3). In the end, Ronaldo and his teammates have accumulated enough anger over the extreme results for a spectacular rout.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Al-Feiha vs Al-Nasr
Al-FeihaThe team, which finished last season in the middle of the tournament table (9th place, 44 points in 34 matches and a goal difference of "-8"), underwent changes on the coaching bridge in the summer. Instead of the Serbian Vkua Rasovic, the Greek Christos Kontis took the helm, and so far his debut cannot be called successful. Al-Feiha lost in the opening round of the new championship to Al-Taawun (0:1), and conceded the decisive goal while playing with a majority in the 90+5 minute.
In Kontis's defense, it can be said that the new coach found himself in a very sad situation when it comes to personnel. Of the foreign players available for selection, only Zambian Sakala remains. Another African leader of the Al-Faihi attack, Nigerian Onyekuru, is injured. And Bosnian defensive midfielder Cimirot had family circumstances, due to which he was unable to play in the first round of the new season. And it is not yet clear whether the midfielder will solve his problems.
Last round, Al-Faihy had only five players on the bench. A difficult situation before the battle with one of the giants, and one that is angry after a disastrous start to the campaign.
Al-Nasr
Luis Castro's charges continue to disappoint their fans and, what is even more important for Saudi realities, the club's management. After failing in the Super Cup final and being routed by archrivals Al-Hilal (1:4), Al-Nasr also managed to lose points in the first round of the Saudi League, drawing at home against Al-Raed (1:1). The underdog responded to Ronaldo's goal in the first half with a goal of his own at the start of the second 45 minutes, and the spectators did not see any more productive attacks in this match.
Can we already talk about some kind of crisis in Al-Nasr? Perhaps, at least in terms of psychology – quite. Ronaldo is already noticeably nervous, not hesitating to criticize his teammates right during matches. The rest of the team’s legionnaires do not show even half of their capabilities in the game. There are also questions about the work of the coaching staff.
At the same time, Al-Nasr does not seem to have any tangible personnel problems. All the legionnaires, including Mane, Brozovic, Talisca, Teles, Laporte, Otavio and, of course, Ronaldo, are healthy and ready to play. But there are plenty of questions about the motivation of some of them. The same Laporte, it seems, is not averse to returning to Europe, judging by the latest news. And getting ready for Al-Feiha and Al-Raed, when Real Madrid is on the horizon, is quite a task.
Al-Feiha vs Al-Nasr facts
- Al-Nasr's squad is 10 times more expensive than Al-Faihy's (143 million euros versus 14.3 million)
- Al-Nasr are unbeaten in the league for 12 matches in a row (9 wins and 3 draws), although all 3 draws happened in the team's last 4 matches in the league
- Al-Faiha have not won in 5 league matches in a row (3 draws and 2 defeats)
- Both teams have scored in Al-Nassr's last 5 Saudi League matches
Odds from download 1xbet
In the bookmaker 1xbet, the favorite of this match is predictably considered to be the Al-Nasr team, on whose victory you can bet with a coefficient of 1.19. But the coefficient on the victory of the hosts of the match - the football players of Al-Fayhi, is an order of magnitude higher - 10.00. The probability of a draw in the duel is estimated at a coefficient of 7.21. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!Game Totals Prediction
If Al-Nasr loses points in the second round in a row at the start of the season, then the race for the championship title can be finished, essentially, without even starting. But it seems that Ronaldo and company will not allow a misfire, especially considering that the opponent looks weak, and there are no players in its "roster" who can harm the favorite's defense.We suggest betting on the "minus handicap" of the guests from Riyadh. There is an assumption that the home team will not be able to score, and therefore Al-Nasr's victory with a handicap of (-2) for odds of 1.89 is an option that, in the worst case scenario, will provide a "return" on the bet. For more risky bettors, there is a bet on a handicap of (-2.5) or even (-3). In the end, Ronaldo and his teammates have accumulated enough anger over the extreme results for a spectacular rout.
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