Al Nassr will play host to Al Shabab in the Riyadh derby scheduled for Friday, 7 March, in the upcoming Saudi Pro League round.
Will the hosts find a way to win this game despite their recent slump or will the guests take advantage of this to finally beat their city rivals? Find out by reading our Al Nassr vs Al Shabab prediction and preview right here.
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Al Nassr vs Al Shabab prediction: A close game with plenty of goals
Key Stats
- Al Shabab have only lost once in their last five league matches.
- We saw both teams score in the last three H2H duels between Al Nassr and Al Shabab.
- Both teams have scored in 13 of the last 15 Al Shabab's matches across the board.
Correct score prediction: Al Nassr 2-2 Al Shabab
With Al Nassr struggling a bit lately and Al Shabab in good form, this should be an exciting duel. Furthermore, Al Nassr have the second leg of their AFC Champions League tie with Esteghlal just a few days after this match and after a draw in the first leg, their focus will likely be on that game.
All things considered, we can see Al Shabab doing well in this match and avoiding a loss and a draw with goals on both sides sounds like a reasonable bet.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Al Nassr the clear favourites
- HOME: 4/6 (1.67) – 60.00%
- DRAW: 16/5 (4.20) – 23.80%
- AWAY: 17/5 (4.40) – 22.70%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
We can see from these Al Nassr vs Al Shabab odds that the hosts are the expected winners and that's hardly a surprise since they are nine points ahead in the standings and generally a better team.
However, the guests are certainly not without a chance considering their recent form and Al Nassr's recent struggles to get wins.
In any case, if you liked our predictions for this duel, make sure to also read our latest betting tips for today too.
Most recent H2Hs: Al Nassr dominating the matchup
With four wins in a row over Al Shabab, Al Nassr have clearly been the more dominant team in this matchup. That being said, things are quite different if we look at their overall H2H record where the two teams are actually tied: 15-13-15.
Saudi Arabia Pro League 18/10/24
Al Shabab Riyadh
Al-Nassr Riyadh
Saudi Arabia Pro League 25/02/24
Al Shabab Riyadh
Al-Nassr Riyadh
Saudi Arabia Cup 11/12/23
Al Shabab Riyadh
Al-Nassr Riyadh
Saudi Arabia Pro League 29/08/23
Al-Nassr Riyadh
Al Shabab Riyadh
Arab Club Championship 28/07/23
Al-Nassr Riyadh
Al Shabab Riyadh
Al Nassr preview: Looking for an important win
After losing twice in their last three games in the league, Al Nassr have pretty much put themseleves out of the title race since they're now 10 points behind league leaders Al Ittihad. What's even more worrying for them is the fact that they're currently only in fourth place in the standings, three points behind Al Qadisiya, so they will have to fight hard to secure a spot in the AFC Champions League next season.
Furthermore, Al Nassr have only managed to draw with Esteghlal in the current edition of the AFC Champions League as they battle to get into the quarter-finals, with the second leg scheduled for Monday, a few days after their duel with Al Shabab.
Cristiano Ronaldo has missed the game with Esteghlal due to a minor injury and we wouldn't be surprised if he sits this game as well so he can be ready for the second leg against the Iranian team.
Predicted lineup: Bento (GK), Al Najdi, Simakan, Al Fatil, Boushal, Yahyi, Brozovic, Al Hassan, Angelo, Mane & Duran
AFC Champions League Elite 03/03/25
D
Esteghlal
0
Al-Nassr Riyadh
0
Saudi Arabia Pro League 28/02/25
L
Al Orubah
2
Al-Nassr Riyadh
1
Saudi Arabia Pro League 25/02/25
W
Al Wehda Mecca
0
Al-Nassr Riyadh
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 21/02/25
L
Al Ittifaq Dammam
3
Al-Nassr Riyadh
2
AFC Champions League Elite 17/02/25
D
Persepolis
0
Al-Nassr Riyadh
0
Al Shabab preview: Hoping for a good showing against their city rivals
With three wins in the last five games in the league, Al Shabab have been in good form recently and in general they've done well ever since Fatih Terim took over the team at the start of the year, although it could also be said that they were inconsistent in that period. In any case, Al Shabab are currently sixth in the standings, but the first team in front of them is eight points ahead, so it's hard to see them moving up.
Predicted lineup: Al Muaiouf (GK), Renan, Hoedt, Al Shwirekh, Leandrinho, Guanca, Al Juwayr, Al Thani, Bonaventura, Hamdallah & Podence
Saudi Arabia Pro League 28/02/25
W
Damac FC
0
Al Shabab Riyadh
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 25/02/25
W
Al Raed
1
Al Shabab Riyadh
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 22/02/25
D
Al Taawon Buraidah
2
Al Shabab Riyadh
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 13/02/25
L
Al Qadisiya Al Khubar
3
Al Shabab Riyadh
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 06/02/25
W
Al Khaleej Saihat
1
Al Shabab Riyadh
5
Player to watch: Jhon Duran
With Ronaldo possibly missing this game so he can be ready for Esteghlal, Duran will have to step in and provide offensive firepower for Al Nassr. The young Colombian has done well since arriving to Saudi Arabia, with four goals in four matches in the Saudi Pro League, so we can see him doing well against Al Shabab too.
