Elite Joy League: Al-Nassr raise the banner of revenge, Al-Ahli hunt their wounded rival in round three
The Jood Elite League, Saudi Arabia's Under-21 competition, rolls on with a fresh batch of third-round fixtures.
Several eye-catching clashes headline the round. Some could shape the race for top spot from the off. Others carry a history that promises to add extra spice to proceedings.
Round three fixtures of the Joy Elite League
Third-round action gets under way on Sunday 6 September. Al-Nassr travel to face Al-Fateh at the Meydan Al-Tamweel Al-Oula Stadium in Al-Ahsa, while defending champions Al-Hazem head to Al-Majmaah to take on Al-Feiha.
Al-Ahli make the trip to face Al-Jabalain at the Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi Stadium in Hail. Al-Qadsiah, meanwhile, host league leaders Al-Ittifaq at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in Al-Khobar.
Rounding off the day, Al-Ittihad travel to face Al-Wehda at the King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Makkah.
Monday 7 September brings Al-Khaleej to Arar, where they meet newly promoted Al-Tadamon at the Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed Sports City Stadium. Fellow promoted side Al-Faisaly host Al-Najma at the Al-Majmaah Sports City Stadium.
Al-Kholood and Al-Orobah clash in Al-Rass. Damac host Al-Riyadh in Khamis Mushait, and Al-Hilal travel to face Al-Taawoun in Buraidah to close out the third round for the month.
Two fixtures, though, will be pushed back. Al-Watan versus Al-Ansar at the King Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jazan moves to 21 December, while Neom against Al-Akhdoud at the King Khalid Sports City Stadium in Tabuk is now scheduled for 25 January next year.
Al-Nassr raise the banner of revenge
Al-Nassr open their second match of the new Roshn Saudi Pro League season carrying bitter memories, as they visit an Al-Fateh side who dumped them out of last season's quarter-finals in humiliating fashion.
Al-Fateh beat Al-Nassr home and away, 4-1 and 3-2, a 7-3 aggregate across the two legs. They marched on to the semi-finals and then the final, only to lose to Al-Hazm 3-1.
Revenge is not the only thing driving Al-Nassr. Beating Al-Fateh would break the tie between the two sides in the standings and hand them a second straight win.
A clean four-goal victory in their only outing so far, against Al-Jabalain, left Al-Nassr eighth. They sit behind seventh-placed Al-Fateh on goal difference, though their opponents have played twice.
Al-Fateh, meanwhile, want to bounce back from last round's defeat to Al-Ahli. Home advantage and a raucous crowd could help them land a fresh win over Al-Nassr and rekindle the glories of last season.
Al-Ahly hunts down a wounded Al-Nasr
Al-Ahli chase a third straight win on the same day as they travel to Al-Jabalain, eager to stay in the hunt at the top of the Saudi Under-21 League.
They showed their mettle last time out, beating Al-Fateh, runners-up in the first edition, 2-1. That result lifted them to second on 6 points, level with leaders Al-Ettifaq but behind on goal difference.
"The Refined Ones" will want to keep the momentum going, and they face opponents still nursing the wounds of a 4-0 hammering by Al-Nassr in the last round.
That defeat sent Al-Jabalain tumbling to fifteenth on 3 points, all of which came from their shock win over title holders Al-Hazm in the opening round.
Al-Qadsiah threaten Al-Ettifaq's top spot
Al-Ettifaq sit top of the table with 6 points, but their first real test of the new Joyy Elite League season awaits. They travel to Al-Qadsiah, semi-finalists last time out.
The season could hardly have started better for Al-Ettifaq. A historic 10-1 win over Al-Tadhamon set the tone, and a 2-0 victory over Damac followed. Both results came against modest opposition, though: one a newly promoted side, the other a team scrapping to avoid relegation last season.
Al-Qadsiah, by contrast, are struggling to find their rhythm. They beat Al-Khaleej 3-1 on the opening day, then slumped to a surprise 3-1 defeat against Al-Riyadh in round two.
That loss left them on 3 points and eleventh in the table. Fail to get a result against the leaders, and they could slide even further.
Al-Ittihad in search of itself
Al-Ittihad, for their part, will play their third-round match against Al-Wehda under the banner of a search for their identity, following unconvincing performances in the first two rounds.
The opening round brought the only draw on the card, a goalless stalemate with Damac. Al-Ittihad then ground out a laboured 2-0 win over Al-Tadhamon, newly promoted to the Roshn League, a week on from their historic 10-1 hammering by Al-Ettifaq.
Those results left the "Tigers" sixth in the table on 4 points. They cannot afford to drop any more if they genuinely want to compete for the title this season.
Al-Wehda, their opponents, are in no better shape. They opened the season with a 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh before losing by the same scoreline to Al-Khaleej in the second round.
Sitting thirteenth on 3 points, Al-Wehda could slip further if they fail to make the most of home advantage and their supporters against Al-Ittihad.
Al-Hilal to end their partnership with Al-Taawoun
Al-Hilal face the toughest test of any of the big clubs in the upcoming round of the Roshn Saudi Pro League. They travel to Al-Taawoun, who reached the quarter-finals last time out before going out on penalties.
Adding to the heat, neither side has dropped a point yet. They sit third and fourth respectively on 6 points, both with a perfect record.
Al-Hilal have had it easy in their opening two rounds. They beat newly promoted Al-Faisaly 2-1 in the first, then saw off Al-Kholood 2-0 in the second.
Al-Taawoun's path has been no harder. They won 2-0 against Al-Najma to open their campaign before edging Al-Orobah by a single goal.
Defensively, though, Al-Taawoun have stood out. They are the only side alongside Al-Ittihad yet to concede after two matches, which spells out just how difficult a job Al-Hilal's attack faces.
High-profile figures
The opening two rounds of the Roshn Saudi Pro League delivered 21 matches, and all but two produced a winner. Al-Ittihad and Damac played out a goalless draw, while Al-Najma and Neom shared the points in a 1-1 stalemate.
Those 21 matches yielded 62 goals, a rate approaching three per game. That is a strikingly high figure.
Al-Ettifaq stand as the league's most potent attack after two rounds, having found the net 12 times. Only Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawoun have kept a clean sheet across both their outings.
At the other end, Al-Tadhamon have the leakiest defence, shipping 12 goals in two matches. Five sides have yet to score at all: Damac, Al-Okhdood, Al-Kholood, Al-Orobah and Al-Ansar.
Individually, Al-Ettifaq star Mohammed Al-Aissa leads the scoring charts after two rounds with five goals. Al-Ahli's Ziyad Iba and Al-Fateh striker En-Nesyri follow close behind on four apiece.
