The Saudi Pro League 2023-24 football season started on Friday, August 11 as Al-Ahli Saudi FC beat Al-Hazm 3-1 at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
As many as 18 teams will play a total of 34 matches each over nine months over the course of the season.
Defending champions Al-Ittihad began their Saudi Pro League 2023-24 campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Al-Raed in their away fixture at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on August 14.
Under manager Nuno Espírito Santo, Al-Ittihad rode on Abderrazak Hamdallah’s 58th minute strike and a brace from Brazilian midfielder Igor Coronado to commence their title defence with an impressive victory.
Last season, Nuno Espírito Santo’s men pipped Al-Nassr by five points to clinch their ninth Saudi Pro League crown and their first league title in 14 years.
Al-Ittihad have further bolstered their squad by signing former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema, ex-Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kanté and Portuguese winger Jota.
One of the title favourites, Al-Nassr, went down to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq FC 1-2 in their Saudi Pro League 2023-24 at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.
After winning the Arab Club Champions Cup 2023, Al-Nassr missed the services of their captain Cristiano Ronaldo and fielded a weakened side.
Al Nassr conceded goals from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele to lose their opening fixture of the Saudi Pro League 2023-24. Sadio Mane earlier opened the scoring for Al-Nassr in the fourth minute.
Led by head coach Luís Castro, Al-Nassr have also strengthened their squad by roping in the likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, Seko Fofana and Sadio Mane in the summer transfer window.
Al-Hilal are the most successful team in the Saudi Pro League history, having won the title a record 18 times.
Having finished third last season with 59 points from 30 matches, Al-Hilal beat Abha 3-1 in their 2023-24 campaign opener.
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal have completed the signing of Brazilian talisman Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer fee of around €90 million.
Apart from Neymar, Malcom, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly have also joined Al-Hilal.
Al-Ahli, Al-Hazem, Al-Okhdood, and Al-Riyadh are the four newly-promoted clubs in the 2023-24 season.
The Saudi Pro League 2023-24 season will conclude on May 27, 2024.
Where to watch the Saudi Pro League 2023-24 season live in India?
Select matches of the Saudi Pro League 2023-24 season will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Ten 1 and Sony Sports Ten 1 HD TV channels in India.
Live streaming of the Saudi Pro League 2023-24 season will be available on the SonyLIV app and website in India.
Photo credit: Alamy
