Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli face defining tests in Saudi U21 league’s second round

Al-Ittihad will look to make amends against Al-Tadhamon, the biggest losers in the history of the Jawwy Elite League, while Al-Ahli face last season’s runners-up Al-Fateh in the second round of the Saudi U21 competition.

The league’s second season began on Sunday, 23 August, following a memorable inaugural campaign in which Al-Hazem secured the title in a major surprise. The next round starts on Sunday, 30 August, with five matches before a further six fixtures are played on Monday.

Al-Akhdoud begin Sunday’s programme by hosting Al-Faisaly at Damac Club Stadium in Khamis Mushait. Neom will travel to Al-Najma, with that match taking place at the Education Department Stadium in Unaizah.

Newly promoted Al-Ansar will welcome Al-Fayha at their stadium in Medina, while fellow newcomers Al-Ittihad entertain Al-Tadhamon in Jeddah. Al-Hilal will also be at home, facing Al-Kholood in Riyadh.

Monday’s schedule opens at Gulf Club Stadium in Saihat, where Al-Khaleej meet Al-Wehda. Al-Ettifaq host Damac in Dammam, while Al-Qadsiah travel to face Al-Riyadh in the capital.

Al-Taawoun visit Al-Orobah in Al-Jawf, Al-Nassr host Al-Jabalain in Riyadh and Al-Ahli conclude the round against Al-Fateh at home in Jeddah.

The only postponed fixture is Al-Hazem’s meeting with newly promoted Al-Watan in Al-Rass. The match will now be played on Monday, 25 January next year.

Al-Tadhamon’s difficult start

Al-Tadhamon attracted the most attention in the opening round, but for an unwanted reason. The newly promoted side suffered a record 10-1 defeat by Al-Ettifaq, the heaviest loss in the history of the competition.

That result left Al-Tadhamon 24th and bottom of the table without a point, with a goal difference of minus nine. Their position could become even more difficult when they travel to Al-Ittihad.

Al-Ittihad, meanwhile, will see the fixture as an opportunity to restore confidence after a disappointing opening performance. They were the only team involved in a goalless draw in the first round, being held by Damac.

The result placed Al-Ittihad 10th with one point and did little to reassure supporters of “The Brigadiers”, who were unhappy with the club’s performances last season. A convincing victory over Al-Tadhamon would provide the response they are seeking.

Al-Hilal wary of Al-Kholood

Al-Hilal will play their second match of the campaign when they host Al-Kholood, although the visitors remain something of an unknown quantity. Al-Hilal began with a dramatic victory over newly promoted Al-Faisaly, recovering from conceding in the second minute to win 2-1 through two goals from Turki Al-Ghamil.

That victory put Al-Hilal seventh with three points. The club had struggled to deal with Al-Faisaly’s unfamiliarity in the opening match and could face a similar challenge against Al-Kholood, despite the latter entering its second season in the competition.

Al-Kholood have yet to play this season because their opening fixture against Al-Akhdoud was postponed until 18 December.

Al-Hilal’s concern is increased by their only previous meeting with Al-Kholood in the competition. It ended 0-0 in the penultimate round of last season’s league phase, a result that contributed to Al-Hilal finishing second, one point behind Al-Ettifaq, instead of topping the table.

Leaders Al-Ettifaq face Al-Jabalain test

Al-Ettifaq will attempt to retain first place when they host Damac in Dammam. They have held the lead since the end of last season’s league phase, which they finished with 41 points, one ahead of Al-Hilal.

Although Al-Ettifaq were eliminated in the quarter-finals last season, they began the new campaign in emphatic fashion by beating Al-Tadhamon 10-1. It was the biggest victory recorded in the history of the Jawwy Elite League and gave them the strongest attack after one round.

Their next assignment is less straightforward. Damac held Al-Ittihad to the round’s only goalless draw and sit 11th with one point. They will be seeking at least another point against “The Knights of the South”.

Al-Nassr will make their first appearance of the season when they welcome Al-Jabalain to Riyadh. Their opening match against Al-Watan was postponed until 18 December, meaning this will be their first opportunity to collect points.

Al-Nassr will want to mark their delayed start with a victory and reassure supporters after last season’s quarter-final exit. Al-Jabalain, however, will arrive with confidence after producing the opening round’s biggest surprise by defeating defending champions Al-Hazem 2-1 with an 85th-minute winner.

They currently sit eighth with three points and will aim to continue their impressive start, or at least claim a draw, to remain among the league’s top 10.

Al-Ahli face Al-Fateh challenge

Al-Ahli’s home meeting with Al-Fateh is currently the final match of the round and represents their first major test of the new season.

Al-Ahli opened with a 3-1 victory over Al-Fayha, with Ziyad Eba impressing during the match. The result put them fourth with three points and offered supporters hope that last season’s 15th-place finish in the league phase would not be repeated.

Al-Fateh will provide a demanding examination. They finished as runners-up in last season’s Saudi U21 league, losing 3-1 to Al-Hazem in the final, and underlined their quality by opening the new campaign with a 6-0 victory over newly promoted Al-Ansar.

That result left Al-Fateh second on goal difference behind Al-Ettifaq.

The opening round produced 36 goals across 10 matches, an average of 3.6 per game. Every match ended in a victory except the goalless draw between Al-Ittihad and Damac.

Al-Ettifaq have the league’s most productive attack with 10 goals, while Al-Ittihad, Damac, Al-Taawoun, Al-Fateh, Neom and Al-Wehda have yet to concede among the teams that have played.

Al-Ettifaq forward Mohammed Al-Essa leads the scoring charts with four goals. Al-Ahli’s Ziyad Eba and Al-Fateh striker En Ras follow with three each.

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