Al-Ittihad vs Al-Shabab Prediction and Betting Tips

Al-Ittihad will host Al-Shabab at the Alinma Stadium on Tuesday night in the semifinal of the 2024-25 Saudi King's Cup campaign. The hosts will be optimistic to get the win on their return from the break and end their five-year absence from the finals.

Nadi Al-Sha'ab narrowly went past Al-Hilal in the last round, defeating the defending champions on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw in normal and extra time. The hosts have only lost once in 24 games across all competitions since September 2024 and will be confident going into this midweek's cup tie as they look to win their 10th domestic cup title.

Al-Shabab faced much weaker opposition in the quarter finals, defeating Al-Fayha 2-1 in January after eliminating Al-Kholood and Al-Riyadh in the earlier stages of the cup. The visitors, who are 18 points and five places behind Tuesday's hosts in the league, are unbeaten in their last five games and will hope that form is enough to deliver their seventh appearance in the King's Cup final.

Al-Ittihad vs Al-Shabab Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

The two teams have met on 68 previous occasions going into this Tuesday's cup clash. Al-Ittihad have won 30 of those meetings, 19 have ended in draws while Al-Shabab have won the remaining 19.
The sides have been closely matched in recent meetings, picking up two wins apiece in their last four matchups.
Both teams have scored 12 goals each across the last 10 editions of this fixture.
Nadi Al-Sha'ab are without a clean sheet in their last six games in this fixture, a run dating back to 2022.
Al-Ittihad have won the King's Cup nine times, most recently in the 2017-18 season while Al-Shabab have won the cup competition three times, most recently in the 2013-14 season.
The hosts have the second-best offensive and joint-second best defensive records in the Saudi top division with 59 goals and 24 conceded after 25 games played.

Al-Ittihad vs Al-Shabab Prediction

Al-Ittihad are comfortable favorites going into Tuesday's game but will need to avoid complacency and replicate their impressive recent form to get the win in normal time.

Al-Laith will be hard pushed to get something out of the game and will likely rely on their decent defensive record to perhaps force the game to extra time and eventually penalties.

Prediction: Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Shabab

Al-Ittihad vs Al-Shabab Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Al-Ittihad to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Each of the hosts' last 10 matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes (Both teams have gotten on the scoresheet in five of their last six matchups)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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Edited by Peter P