Al-Nassr’s Al-Amri on course for Al-Ahli classic after minor strain

Abdulelah Al-Amri will be available for Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League meeting with Al-Ahli next week after tests showed the defender suffered only a minor strain while playing for Saudi Arabia against South Korea.

Saudi Arabia beat South Korea 3-2 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Friday in their first friendly of the current international break.

Al-Amri was replaced in the 71st minute, with Al-Hilal defender Ali Lajami coming on, prompting checks to establish the extent of the injury. Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya reported that the examinations found a slight strain which will not prevent him from returning to training.

The 29-year-old is therefore expected to be fit for Saudi Arabia’s second friendly of the break, against Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday, 17 November 2026.

He is also set to be involved when Al-Nassr travel to face rivals Al-Ahli at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, 20 November 2026. The match is a rearranged fixture from matchweek nine of the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Amri has made an impressive start to the season, particularly in front of goal. He has scored four times, with all four goals coming from headers.

His latest effort put Saudi Arabia 3-1 ahead against South Korea in the 59th minute. He met a corner delivered by Al-Hilal midfielder Nasser Al-Dawsari and directed a header into the net.

The goal was the defender’s 20th in senior football for Al-Nassr, Al-Wehda and Saudi Arabia. It was his third for the national team, following strikes against Kuwait in 2021 and Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup.

Al-Amri has scored 16 goals for Al-Nassr and one for Al-Wehda.

Saudi Arabia’s victory was their first against South Korea for 21 years. Their previous win came in 2005, when they defeated the Koreans home and away, 2-0 and 1-0, in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.

The two sides then went six matches without a Saudi victory. South Korea won two of those games, while the other four ended in draws, before Friday’s result ended that run.

The fixture was the 19th between Saudi Arabia and South Korea in friendly and competitive football, dating back to their first meeting in 1980.

Saudi Arabia have now won six of those matches, while South Korea have also recorded six victories. The remaining seven games have ended level.