Al-Nassr will be aiming for their first win of the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season when they face Al-Fateh on Thursday at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al-Hasa.
Al-Fateh have made a solid start to the new league season. Currently sitting fifth in the table, Slaven Bilic's side were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Al-Taawoun on the opening day, before they claimed an impressive 3-1 victory against newly promoted Al-Akhdoud in their most recent league encounter thanks to a Cristian Tello brace, while Maroud Batna also got onto the scoresheet.
Up next they face Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on Friday, which could be a litmus test for the Paragons. The Knights of Najd have certainly been the biggest shock so far this season in the Saudi Pro League, and not in a good way.
The team full of superstars such as Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, and Sadio Mane among their playing XI, have yet to put their first point on the board after losing to Al-Ittifaq and Al-Taawon in their opening two league games.
The visitors did return to winning ways in stunning fashion with a 4-2 comeback win against UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League playoff tie, with Talisca bagging a brace and Sultan Al-Ghannam and Marcelo Brozovic also getting on the scoresheet. That said, Luis Castro's side are in dire need of a similar result here or they risk falling too far behind in the title race already.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Fateh vs Nassr kick-off time
| Date: | August 25, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 2:00 pm ET |
| Venue: | Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium |
The Saudi Pro League match between Al-Fateh and Al-Nassr will be played at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia. It will kick off at 2:00 pm ET on August 25, 2023 in the United States (US).
How to watch Fateh vs Nassr online - TV channels & live streams
The fixture will be shown live on Shahid, Fox Soccer Plus and fuboTV in the United States. Match highlights will be shown on these platforms after the full-time whistle. Live updates can be accessed here on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Al-Fateh team news
Al-Fateh will probably be without the services of Francisco Velez again as he is working his way back from a long-term injury, while 31-year-old midfielder Marwane Saadane has been out since the start of this month and is out until early September due to a hernia. Head coach Slaven Bilic will rely on Spanish attacking midfielder Cristian Tello, who bagged a brace and an assist in Fateh's victory against Al-Akhdoud, to provide the attacking impetus alongside summer recruit Lucas Zelarayan, who scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 20 MLS appearances for his ex-club Columbus Crew this season.
Al Fateh possible XI: Rinne; Al Yousif, Denayer, Lajami, Al Zubaidi; Petros, Bendebka; Tello, Zelarayan, Batna; Al Buraikan
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Rinne, Malayekah |
| Defenders: | Al Yousif, Denayer, Lajami, Al Zubaidi, Al Harbi, Buhimed, Al Saeed |
| Midfielders: | Petros, Bendebka, Tello, Zelarayan, Batna, Al Fuhaid, Al-Hassan, Baattia |
| Forwards: | Al Buraikan, Al Masoud, Al Slis |
Al-Nassr team news
Left-back Alex Telles is likely remain on the sidelines with an injury for this clash, having missed each of Al-Nassr's last three games.
Despite the speculation around his imminent future at the club, Anderson Talisca was the star of the show last time out, as he scored twice in a comeback victory over Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli. He is set to retain his place in the starting XI, with new-boy Otavio slotting straight into the attack following his arrival from Porto for a club-record €60 million (£51.5m).
Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo are nailed on starters up top, while Manchester City treble-winner Aymeric Laporte has become the club's latest high-profile arrival yesterday to bolster their defence, although this game may come too soon for the Spanish defender.
Al-Nassr possible XI: Al Aqidi; Konan, Al Fatil, Al Amri, Al Ghannam; Fofana, Brozovic; Otavio, Talisca, Mane; Ronaldo
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Al-Aqidi, Al-Bukhari, Abdullah |
| Defenders: | Al-Amri, Madu, Lajami, Al-Fatil, Konan, Telles, Qasem, S. Al-Ghannam, Al-Boushal |
| Midfielders: | Brozovic, Al-Khaibari, Al-Hassan, Ali, Fofana, Al-Sulaiheem, Talisca, Al-Najei, Mane, Ghareeb, K. Al-Ghannam, Yahya, Otavio |
| Forwards: | Ronaldo, Adam, Maran |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 31/5/23 | Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Fateh | Saudi Pro League |
| 3/2/23 | Al-Fateh 2-2 Al-Nassr | Saudi Pro League |
| 27/6/22 | Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Fateh | Saudi Pro League |
| 1/1/22 | Al-Fateh 0-1 Al-Nassr | Saudi Pro League |
| 9/2/21 | Al-Fateh 1-1 Al-Nassr | Saudi Pro League |