Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
A match in the latest round of the Saudi Arabian King's Cup will take place on Monday in Mecca, where local club Al-Wehda will host Al-Qadisiyah. Here’s a prediction of the game from the Dailysports expert team.
Al-Wehda
The "Knights of Mecca" are fighting for survival this season, currently sitting in 15th place in the Saudi Pro League standings. In eight rounds, Ronny Deila’s team has managed only one win and suffered four losses. Al-Wehda stays out of the relegation zone only due to tiebreaking criteria.
In the last round, Al-Wehda played an away game against Al-Khaleej, where they suffered a clear 1-3 defeat. This marked their third loss in their last five league matches. In the previous round of the King’s Cup, the "Knights of Mecca" triumphed over Al-Faisaly Harma in a penalty shootout at home.
Al-Qadisiyah
The club from Al-Khobar had a strong last season in the First Division, finishing at the top and earning promotion to Saudi football's elite. Al-Qadisiyah started this Pro League season with similar strength, securing three wins in their first five rounds: a commanding 3-0 victory over Al-Fateh and narrow 1-0 wins against both Al-Raed and Al-Ahli.
However, the next two games slowed their momentum. Al-Qadisiyah first lost 1-2 away to Al-Riyadh, and after the international break, suffered another defeat to Al-Ittihad, 1-3. In their most recent match, they defeated Damac 2-1 at home, moving up to fifth place in the league standings. In the previous round of the King’s Cup, Al-Qadisiyah dispatched Al-Orouba with a comfortable 4-1 victory.
Match Facts
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has won in three of the last four matches.
- In the last two encounters between these teams, no more than two goals were scored, though the "Over 2.5 Goals" bet had won in the prior three meetings.
- In Al-Wehda's last three matches, the "Both Teams to Score" bet has won.
Head-to-Head
The teams last faced each other in the 2021/22 season in the First Division, where Al-Wehda won 2-0 away and drew 1-1 at home.
Probable Lineups
- Al-Wehda: De Arruabarrena, Al-Mowalad, Al-Hafith, Yamik, Bakshween, Cretu, Al-Maqahasi, Amin, Al-Najai, Goodwin, Ighalo
- Al-Qadisiyah: Castells, Al-Shamat, Thakri, Fernandez, Alvarez, Nandez, Fernandez, Mohamed, Puertas, Al-Ammar, Aubameyang
Prediction
Bookmakers give a slight edge to Al-Qadisiyah, setting odds for their victory at 2.18. The visitors indeed look stronger in the league at the moment, and our prediction for this match is “Al-Qadisiyah to Win with a Handicap (0)” with odds of 1.62.
