Abdullah Al Dabil Stadium

Al-Ettifaq v Al-Nassr preview

Ange Postecoglou is aiming to continue his serene start to his career as Al-Nassr head coach after his side ensured they have won each of their first three matches of the season in all competitions by at least three goals with a 4-0 win at Al-Riyadh on Friday.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo made his first appearance since representing Portugal at the World Cup, the two-time Saudi Pro League top scorer opening his account for the campaign with a goal after coming on.

“It was important for Cris to take his time to come back because he was very busy in the off-season,” said Postecoglou.

“Three games in six days was always going to be a challenge for us and I could see, at times, how tired [the players] were.

“We weren’t as sharp as we had been in previous in games, but they never stopped and they showed their quality.”

Postecoglou now faces a familiar fellow Australian in new Al-Ettifaq boss Arthur Papas, who was his assistant when the future Premier League manager won the Japanese title with Yokohama in 2019.

Fourteen years Postecoglou’s junior, Papas has flourished in his homeland, Thailand and Japan, where he won the West Division Manager of the Year with Cerezo Osaka this year.

Papas is in his second spell at Al-Ettifaq, having briefly been an assistant at the club when they successfully battled relegation in 2017.

Following a seventh-placed finish last season to qualify for the Gulf Club Champions League, Al-Ettifaq are one of five clubs to have won their first two league matches of the season alongside defending champions Al-Nassr, NEOM, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahly.

“Al-Ettifaq is a historic club with a rich heritage and great potential,” Papas said when he was appointed in July, describing himself as “thrilled”.

“The goal now is to take the next step forward, together with our fans, and work towards winning a championship.”

Al-Ettifaq v Al-Nassr team news

Al-Ettifaq are reportedly on the verge of signing Jordan Larsson for around £1.3 million from Copenhagen.

The 29-year-old son of legendary striker Henrik Larsson has also represented Sweden and spent part of his youth career at one of his father’s former clubs, Barcelona, going on to win the Danish title and Danish Cup twice each with his current club.

Scotland centre-back Jack Hendry scored in the 78th minute of Al-Ettifaq’s 1-0 win at Al-Fateh on Saturday.

Former Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum left after almost three years when his contract expired following the end of the 2025/26 season.

Al-Nassr defenders Mohamed Simakan and Saad Al-Nasser, forward Mohammed Maran and winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb have trained individually and are not in contention because of injuries, according to Al-Riyadh.

New Portuguese midfielder Samu Costa has overcome an injury and is available but goalkeepers Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Raghed Al-Najjar are out.

Ronaldo is likely to be pushing for a first start of the season. The 41-year-old replaced Saudi Arabia forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 62nd minute against Al-Riyadh.

Al-Ettifaq v Al-Nassr expected line ups

Al-Ettifaq starting XI: Turki Ba Al Jawsh, Radhi Al Otaibi, Jack Hendry, Abdullah Khateeb, Madallah Al Olayan, Alvaro Medran, Ondrej Duda, Yasir Shammari, Rayane Messi, Moussa Dembele, Khalid Al Ghannam

Al-Nassr starting XI: Bento, Nawaf Bu Washl, Abdulelah Al Amri, Inigo Martinez, Salem Al Najdi, Kingsley Coman, Angelo, Abdullah Al Khaibari, Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix

ℹ️ Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 20–40 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.

Al-Ettifaq v Al-Nassr recent form, stats

• No team drew more home games in last season’s Saudi Pro League than Al-Ettifaq (6), while only four teams suffered fewer home defeats (4)
• These teams have gone 41 matches and almost 22 years against each other without the end result being 0-0, although they did share a goalless stalemate at Al-Nassr in the King’s Cup last 16 in October 2023, when extra time was required and Sadio Mane settled the tie in the 107th minute
• Only one of the six meetings between these teams since August 2023 has produced an Al-Ettifaq win, with Al-Nassr winning on three occasions and one draw
• Wijnaldum scored twice in that victory at Al-Nassr in February 2025, helping his side come from behind twice and netting an 89th-minute winner
• Al-Ettifaq’s former captain also scored twice when Al-Nassr were the visitors in last season’s Saudi Pro League, netting either side of goals by Ronaldo and Joao Felix in a 2-2 draw in December 2025
• Kingsley Coman scored the first-half winner when Al-Nassr won the return match 1-0 in April, with Hendry dismissed in the 94th minute
• The four editions of the fixture immediately preceding that game had averaged four goals a game, with 13 of the 16 goals coming after half-time
• Al-Nassr have won one of their last six visits to Al-Ettifaq in all competitions (D4 L1), prevailing 3-0 in September 2024 through goals by Ronaldo, Salem Al-Najdi and Talisca, including two assists for Mane
• Ronaldo has three goals in his last four appearances against Al-Ettifaq, netting in each of Al-Nassr’s last two games as the away side in the fixture

Where to watch Al Ettifaq v Al Nassr: TV, live online streams

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 19:00 BST (14:00 ET / 11:00 PT). Live coverage in the UK is on DAZN, which costs £15.99 a month, with live streaming on the DAZN app. 

In the US, FOX Sports are the Saudi Pro League live broadcasters. For different territories, visit the Saudi Pro League broadcaster page.

Al Ettifaq v Al Nassr prediction

Al-Ettifaq's strong start to the season and solid recent home record against Al-Nassr means they look well-placed to become the first team to trouble the reigning champions this season