Al Shabab vs Al-Faisaly: One Point Apart, Both Searching for an Edge

Al Shabab’s last five league games have brought one win, two draws and two defeats, with five goals scored and five conceded. It is the profile of a side stuck in the middle of a congested table, unable to build any real momentum.

A single point between two struggling sides

Shabab are 13th in the 18-team Pro League with seven points from eight matches. Al-Faisaly are 15th with six. That one point is the only thing separating them, and neither club can afford for it to stay that way. Shabab’s goal difference of -2 is far healthier than Faisaly’s -7, which gives the hosts a cushion, but both sides are well inside the relegation mix, so a result here carries real weight.

Shabab’s late-goal problem

Scoring has not been Shabab’s main issue. They have found the net nine times in eight games, and seven of those goals came in Riyadh. The worry is what happens at the end of matches. Six of their 11 conceded goals have arrived between the 76th and 90th minutes, meaning half of the goals they have shipped came in the final quarter of games.

Faisaly have struggled in a different phase. Seven of their goals against have come between the 16th and 30th minutes, which suggests a side that has been caught cold early and has spent long spells chasing games.

Five meetings, little between them

The recent head-to-head is as tight as the table. Shabab have won twice in the last five meetings, including a 1-0 victory in 2022 and a 5-1 win at Faisaly’s ground in 2021. The other results were a 2-1 Faisaly win in 2020, a 1-1 draw in January 2021 and a goalless draw in November 2021.

Our prediction

Al Shabab 1-1 Al-Faisaly. Shabab have the edge of home conditions and a slightly better goal record, but neither side has been ruthless enough in front of goal to pull clear. We expect a cagey contest where the first goal matters a great deal, and a share of the points feels like the most likely outcome.