Separated by two places in the Saudi Pro League table heading into the penultimate gameweek, Damac host 14th-placed Al Fateh at Damac Club Stadium.
While neither club is out of relegation danger, the visitors’ position is more precarious, as they sit just three points clear of danger before Thursday’s match in Khamis Mushait.
Match preview
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Just when Damac were being drawn into the relegation conversation in the season’s concluding weeks, Khaled Al-Atwi‘s men have claimed four points from the last available six, lifting them to 12th in the table.
While the Knight of the South are still not assured of safety, the Khamis Mushait-based club are in a healthier position than they were before a 1-0 success over Al Raed on May 11.
Following that victory with a goalless encounter at Al Ettifaq, Damac seek three consecutive clean sheets in the top flight, a feat not achieved between October and December 2022 when Faris Al-Janub followed a 2-0 triumph over Al Adalah with goalless matches against Al Ettifaq and Al Wahda.
Securing one more point would move Jabal Damac closer to safety, even if losing both games against 16th-placed Al Orubah means finishing level with the current third-bottom side will spell relegation, given their inferior head-to-head.
Despite that possibility, Damac enter their final home match in a healthier position than Al Fateh, whose two-match losing streak leaves Jose Gomes‘s men nervously looking over their shoulders at the teams below them.
While there is some daylight from second-bottom Al Okhdood, whom they lead by five points, the 14th-placed club are three points clear of Al Orubah in 16th, while Al Wahda are one point behind in 15th.
Having split both meetings with 1-0 wins apiece, Al Fateh and Al Orubah are tied on head-to-head points and goal difference, granting Al Fateh the edge on the latter if the two teams end the season level.
Nevertheless, Gomes will hope to avoid a third consecutive top-flight defeat to edge closer to safety and return to the form prior to the current run that lifted them outside the bottom three — the Role Model accrued 14 points from a possible 18.
Having lost eight of their opening nine away matches, Al Fateh have been beaten in just two of the next seven, and travelling fans to Khamis Mushait will hope to avoid an 11th defeat on the road and take a positive step towards survival.
Team News
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Alhwsawi Sanousi Mohammed was withdrawn due to an apparent injury against Al Ettifaq, meaning the right-back could join Adam Maher and Hassan Abu Shrarh on the sidelines.
Although Georges-Kevin N’Koudou failed to score last time out, the 13-goal winger has netted five match-clinching goals — only six players in the Saudi Pro League have more — with nine of his overall tally coming in home games, highlighting the wide attacker’s game-winning potential on Thursday.
Having seemingly suffered no injury against Al-Hilal in the previous round, Gomes’s only injury concern heading into Thursday’s match is Suhayb Al Zaid, whose knee injury is expected to keep him sidelined until 2026.
Despite Sofiane Bendebka playing a part in all three goals in gameweek 32, scoring two and assisting one, the midfielder ended on the losing side; however, he remains the away side’s leading source of goals and could add to his 12 strikes for the relegation-threatened club.
Damac possible starting lineup:
Nita; Mohammed, Chafai, Bedrane, Al-Enezi; Hamed, Al-Sibyani; Kamano, Stanciu, N’Koudou; Al-Nemer
Al Fateh possible starting lineup:
Al-Aqidi; Al Dohaim, Fernandes, Saadane; Julaydan, Youssef, Bendebka, Qasim; Batna, Vargas, Sbai
We say: Damac 1-1 Al Fateh
Although Al Fateh failed to score in their last away game at Al Wahda, that was an anomaly for Al Namothji, who had scored in six consecutive fixtures on their travels.
The Role Model are backed to find their shooting boots against Damac, though the home side are expected to respond in kind in a possible low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
