Pro League · Matchday 11 
Our pick1–0Correct result
NEOM vs Abha: Can Abha Trouble the Favourites in Tabuk?
Sixth-placed NEOM face winless Abha in Tabuk on Saturday, with the league's bottom side looking to turn an underdog tag into a result.
📍 King Khalid Sport City Stadium
Match report
NEOM beat Abha 2-0 in the Pro League Regular Season - 11, finishing the match at full time. Saïd Benrahma opened the scoring in the 15th minute, with Alexandre Lacazette providing the assist. Lacazette doubled the lead himself in the 50th minute, with Benrahma credited for the assist.
NEOM had 58% of the possession and took 13 shots to Abha's 6, with 5 on target against 2. Their expected goals total was 1.39, compared with 0.74 for Abha, and the corners finished 5-4. The top-rated player was S. Benrahma, with a rating of 9.0. Before kickoff, the PreviaXI model had predicted a 1-0 NEOM win, with probabilities of 50% home win, 30% draw and 20% away win. The 2-0 result matched the predicted winner, though with a wider margin.
Goals
- 15'Saïd Benrahma · Alexandre Lacazette · NEOM
- 50'Alexandre Lacazette · Saïd Benrahma · NEOM
Cards
- 49'Khaled Al Shamrani · Abha
- 79'Safwan Al Johani · Abha
Match stats
⭐ Top-rated player: S. Benrahma (NEOM) 9
Ratings and statistics: API-Football.
Confirmed lineups
NEOM · 4-4-2
- 81Luís MaximianoG
- 4Khalifah Al DawsariD
- 5M. SarrD
- 44N. ZézéD
- 27Islam HawsawiD
- 14Khalil Al AbsiM
- 23V. VadaM
- 15Abdulmalik Al OyayariM
- 10S. BenrahmaM
- 7G. MasourasF
- 91A. LacazetteF
Coach: C. Galtier
Abha · 5-4-1
- 16D. LéonG
- 23Mohammed Al DossaryD
- 3J. GaariD
- 19Abdullah Al FahadD
- 37Abdulbasit Al-HindiD
- 12K. Al ShamraniD
- 17Abdulkarim DarisiM
- 8Nasser Al DaajaniM
- 7Firas Al-GhamdiM
- 14G. NkoudouM
- 44M. BatshuayiF
Coach: D. Burić
Match facts
Recent form
Last 5 league games, latest on the right
Goals per game
| · | Scored | Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| NEOM | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Abha | 0.8 | 1.9 |
League position
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | NEOM | 10 | +5 | 16 |
| 18 | Abha | 8 | -9 | 2 |
Last meetings
- 2025NEOM2-2Abha
- 2024Abha0-2NEOM
PreviaXI model
- Predicted score
- 1-0
- Expected goals (model)
- 1.45 – 0.82
- Double chance
- 1X · 80%12 70% · X2 50%
- Over 2.5 goals
- 39%
- Both teams score
- 44%
- Expected corners
- 7.34.4 – 2.9 · Over 9.5: 20%
- Expected cards
- 3.91.6 – 2.3 · Over 3.5: 54%
Statistical model based on expected goals (xG), results and match statistics from the last two seasons. For information only. How our model works →
The last time these sides met, in a Division 1 fixture in January 2025, NEOM and Abha were held to a 2-2 draw, a reminder that this matchup rarely follows the script. In Saturday’s Pro League Round 11 meeting in Tabuk, the script looks far more one-sided on paper, and that is exactly what makes it interesting.
A favourite with a cushion
NEOM sit sixth with 16 points from 10 games and a goal difference of +5. Abha are 18th in an 18-team league, with two points from eight matches and a goal difference of -9. The gap in the table is wide, and it is NEOM’s to protect.
Two very different runs
NEOM’s season has been a mix of wins and setbacks, with a form line of WWLLWWWDLL. Their last five league games brought two wins, a draw and two defeats. Abha are in deeper trouble. They have yet to win a league match this season, their form reads LLDLLLDL, and in their last five games they have scored four times while conceding eight.
Head-to-head: NEOM hold the edge
NEOM’s recent record against Abha is encouraging for the home side. Their most recent meetings were a 2-2 draw in January 2025 and a 2-0 win for NEOM away at Abha in August 2024.
Where Abha can hurt NEOM
Abha’s best hope is to make the game untidy and wait for their moments. Four of their goals this season have come between the 76th and 90th minutes, so they can be dangerous late on. Their away record is a concern, though: 11 goals conceded on the road is the kind of number a favourite can exploit. NEOM have also been vulnerable between the 61st and 75th minutes, where four of their nine goals conceded have come.
Our prediction
PreviaXI’s model favours NEOM, and the football supports it. NEOM have scored nine goals at home this season, and they have the stronger attacking output in this matchup. Abha have struggled to score away from home and have kept just one clean sheet in eight games. Expect a cagey, tight contest in which NEOM’s control and home advantage make the difference, with Abha’s hopes resting on a late chance.
NEOM 1-0 Abha
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