Al Ittihad and Al Ahly will face off in a friendly match tomorrow, Friday, as the two teams prepare for the last two rounds of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Professional League.
These two rounds are of paramount importance for both teams as Al Ittihad want to keep all their chances of winning the league and Al Ahli look to secure their continuation in the league after the difficult circumstances that have befallen the team this season . and is currently in tenth place with 31 points.
Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli is a historical derby with its roots in the depths of Saudi football, starting from the Al Sabban Stadium, which is also considered one of the most important classic games of Persian and Arab football.
A friendly confrontation between the two teams is considered a rare event in the midst of historical rivalry between them, and any confrontation between them at any level attracts the attention of the public and the media.
Current circumstances have dictated the organization of this friendly match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, especially after the official announcement of the postponement of the 29th and 30th rounds of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Cup.
In an exclusive interview with Al Madina, the great sports historian, Dr. Amin Saati, Dean of the Department of Sports Historians, confirmed that tomorrow’s friendly match between Al Ittihad and Al Ahli is not the first between the two teams.
He added: The two teams have already met in seven friendly matches on different occasions and most of these confrontations were not meant to be preparation like in their match tomorrow, but were related to charity to raise income to support one of the athletes or support a charity or whatever. something for you, the most important of which are four matches.
He continued: the first was in favor of Al-Ittihad player Saleh Adani, the second was in favor of Al-Ahly player Al-Katiri for treatment, the third was allocated to player Ahmed Moussaki, a player of the Al-Kawakeb club in Taif, and the fourth was for star Saleh Zahran, an Al-Ittihad player who was susceptible to the disease. He continued: The two teams first met in a friendly match in 1357 AH and the match ended in a draw, while the last friendly match was in 1396 AH. and ended with Al Ittihad winning with four goals to none at the Al Sabban clay stadium in Jeddah. A charity match in support of AIDS patients in the 2006/2007 season was attended by a large number of old players from both teams.
In preparation for the last two rounds of the league, Al Ittihad played two friendly matches in which the first lost to the Egyptian Pyramids by a goalless goal, and in the second they drew with Abha by a goal, while Al Ittihad Ahli played one friendly match against El Gouna of Egypt and won by two goals: one.
