Al-Ittihad beat Al Wehda 8-2 as Youssef En-Nesyri sends warning to Al Hilal

Al-Ittihad made a strong statement ahead of their Saudi Pro League clasico against Al Hilal by defeating Saudi First Division side Al Wehda 8-2 in a friendly match.

The match was played at Al-Ittihad’s home ground in Jeddah on 3 October, one week before their league meeting with Al Hilal at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on 10 October. The fixture will be the headline match of matchweek eight in the Saudi Pro League.

Youssef En-Nesyri was the outstanding player for Al-Ittihad, scoring a hat-trick in an emphatic victory. Marwan Al-Sahafi added two goals, while Saleh Al-Shehri, Steven Bergwijn and Ahmed Al-Jalidan each scored once.

The result came during the current international break, with several Al-Ittihad players away on duty with their national teams. Among those missing were Nigeria forward George Ilenikhena and Saudi Arabia defender Hassan Kadesh.

Despite the absences, Al-Ittihad produced an eight-goal performance that underlined their attacking strength before one of the most important matches of the season. The club shared the result on social media, confirming the 8-2 win over Al Wehda.

Al-Ittihad will travel to face Al Hilal knowing that victory would take them to the top of the Saudi Pro League table. They currently occupy second place with 17 points, one point behind leaders Al Hilal.

The Jeddah club are also the only team in the division yet to lose this season. Al Hilal, by contrast, have already suffered one defeat, losing 2-0 to Neom.

The league leaders will therefore host an Al-Ittihad side unbeaten in the competition and boosted by a convincing friendly victory, with En-Nesyri’s hat-trick providing the clearest indication of the visitors’ attacking threat.