Al Ettifaq will put their perfect record in the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League season on the line on Friday night when they welcome Al-Nassr to the Al Ettifaq Club Stadium for a gameweek four showdown.
The hosts have taken the maximum nine points from their first three matches in the new league season, while the visitors have made a stuttering start, managing five points over the same period.
Al Ettifaq were widely tipped to be the side to challenge the PIF-owned club’s dominance last season, but they failed to live up to the expectation, ending the campaign in sixth place and managing exactly half the 96-point tally of league winners Al-Hilal.
However, the Knights of Ad-Dahna have begun this term in the best way possible, securing a 1-0 win away at Al-Shabab followed by a 1-0 victory over Al-Akhdoud and a 2-1 triumph versus Al-Fateh either side of the international break.
This promising start has been much-needed for Steven Gerrard after his disappointing first year in charge, and his side have now won the opening three games for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, when they triumphed in seven of their first 10, going undefeated across that same period.
If Al-Ettifaq pick up a victory against last season’s runners-up on Friday, it will mark the club’s longest winning streak since they last won four consecutive games between October and November of 2012.
While the hosts did lose to their upcoming opponents in the last two encounters, it is worth noting that both those defeats were in Riyadh, while here in Dammam, they are unbeaten in the last three, including a 2-1 league victory last season.
