2023 SPL Preview: Al Ittihad vs. Al Raed Prediction, Odds, and Picks (Dec 23)

• Al Ittihad needs to beat Al Raed to get back into the race for a spot in the Top 3 in the SPL.
• Al Raed is one of the worst teams in the Saudi Pro League, currently sitting in the relegation zone.

Al Ittihad’s FIFA Club World Cup ended a week ago when they got knocked out by Al Ahly. It’s disappointing, but there’s a silver lining for Karim Benzema & Co. – they can now focus entirely on the 2023-24 Saudi Professional League (SPL).

These guys are sitting in the No. 4 place in the SPL standings, which may sound good, but the thing is that the competition is so fierce that they’ll have to do much better if they wish to challenge for a spot in the Top 3.

Their mission starts with the game against Al Raed on Saturday, December 23, which is a must-win for them.

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How to Watch

• When: Saturday, December 23, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. ET
• Where: Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• How to Watch: Fubo

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Odds

Game Result	Odds
Al Ittihad
Draw
Al Raed

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Game Preview

Winning the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League is a dream that Al Ittihad’s players almost certainly won’t be able to fulfill. The thing is they’re already trailing by 20+ points behind the table leaders Al Hilal.

This, however, doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to fight for. They want to get into the Top 3, which are the positions that lead to the AFC Champions League. That’s something they can achieve, but even for that, they’ll have to work hard.

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The bad news for them is that they’ve got some really tough games coming their way over the next couple of weeks, including one against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. The good news, however, is that before that, they’ll get to play against Al Read, which is currently second from behind in the standings.

Al Read has no major stars on the roster, but its players are doing relatively well at the back. So far, they’ve conceded 27 goals, which isn’t too bad in comparison to the other teams from the bottom section of the table.

Still, their defensive numbers could get much worse this coming Saturday when they’re playing against Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, and others.

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Al Ittihad vs. Al Raed Prediction

Al Ittihad will win Saturday’s game, we have no doubt any that. And they’re probably going to score more than usual. Their average is just under 2.0 goals per game, but given that Benzema and his buddies are hungry for success, we could see them do much better than that.

Free Pick: