Asia’s strongest league, a far cry from the Chinese Super League, kicked off at 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The 23-24 Saudi Pro League heats up the summer transfer market. The Saudi Pro League is the league that attracted the attention of soccer fans in the middle of last season when the “man of record” Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the league.
This summer, the league began a full-fledged superstar recruitment drive, starting with 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and adding N’Golo Kante, Robert Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Riyad Mahrez.
Riyad Mahrez, Robert Firmino, Édouard Mendy, and Alain Saint-Maximilien have all played for different Premier League clubs, and Al Ahly has made a name for itself by bringing them together.
It’s unclear if the signings paid off, but Al Ahli cruised to a 3-1 victory over Al Hajj in a 3 a.m. kickoff on Dec. 12, with Firmino netting a hat trick.
The most anticipated match of the first round of the 23-24 Saudi Pro League will be the clash between Al Etihad and Al Nasr, which kicks off at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Al Etihad have made a number of signings since appointing ‘Liverpool legend’ Steven Gerrard as manager, including former Liverpool captain midfielder Jordan Henderson and Lyon striker Mousa Dembele. Can Al Etihad, who haven’t won the league since 1987, show a different side under Gerrard?
Al Nasr, who finished second last season despite having Ronaldo, strengthened this summer with the signings of Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles. With Al Nasr challenging for the league title for the first time in five years, it will be interesting to see if they can capitalize on their recruitment spree, while Ronaldo, who scored 14 goals last season despite only joining the club midway through the season, can become the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League. 먹튀검증
Defending champions Al Ittihad enter the season stronger than ever.
Defending champions Al Ittihad, coached by Nuno Santu, who previously coached Heung-min Son at Tottenham, will look to win the UEFA Champions League for the second year in a row with three players with experience of winning the big one – Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho.
In their quest to return to the top of the table, Al Ittihad will host Al Rahda in their opening match on Tuesday, October 15 at 0:00am.
Meanwhile, Al Ittihad-Al Nasr, which will feature Ronaldo and Benzema, will meet on December 14 and the season finale on May 27, 2024.
Featuring a host of soccer superstars, including Ronaldo and Benzema, the key matches of the 23-24 Saudi Pro League will be streamed exclusively on sports OTT service SPOTV NOW. Live TV coverage will be available on SPOTV ON, SPOTV ON2 and SPOTV Prime.