Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Roshn Saudi Professional League is set to kick off its new season on Thursday, with Al Taawoun hosting Al Fayha, while Al Nassr faces off against Al Raed following their recent loss in the Diriyah Super Cup final. Meanwhile, Al Riyadh will travel to Makkah to take on Al Wehda.

The league resumes after its last match on May 27, where Al Hilal clinched the championship in the final round of the previous season.

Al Nassr, last season’s runner-up and a three-time league champion, enters the season on shaky ground after suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat to fierce rivals Al Hilal in the Diriyah Super Cup final. This was followed by the resignation of club president Ibrahim Al-Muhaideb on Tuesday, less than two months after he was elected.

Coach Luís Castro remains in charge of Al Nassr, though the squad has seen minimal changes, with the addition of Brazilian goalkeeper Bento Matheus and left-back Salem Al-Najdi from Al Fateh.

On the other hand, Al Raed has appointed Brazilian coach Odair Hellmann, previously with Al Riyadh, and has signed Saleh Al-Amri and Zakaria Hawsawi from Al Ittihad. Al Raed, along with their neighbor Al Taawoun, were the only teams to defeat Al Nassr at home last season, with Al Raed winning 3-1 and Al Taawoun triumphing 2-0.

Al Taawoun, who finished fourth last season, starts the new campaign under Argentine coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena. Their recent performance, however, wasn’t ideal, as they fell to Al Nassr 2-0 in the Diriyah Super Cup semi-final. The team has bolstered its ranks with Moroccan midfielder Fayçal Fajr, formerly of Al Wehda. Al Fayha, meanwhile, enters the match with a new coach, Greek tactician Christos Kontis, who won the Greek Cup last season with Panathinaikos.

In the third match, Al Wehda, now led by German coach Josef Zinnbauer, who guided Morocco’s Raja Casablanca to a domestic double last season, will face Al Riyadh, which has brought in French coach Sabri Lamouchi to replace Hellmann.