In two matches: Al-Ittihad loses an important card

Al-Ittihad will continue to play without their first-choice goalkeeper, Serbian Predrag Rajkovic, during their next two matches in the Saudi Roshn Pro League and the AFC Champions League Elite.

Rajkovic sat out Tuesday's match, a 2-1 win over Al-Fayha in the sixth round, having watched from the sidelines as his side beat Al-Nassr by the same score in the previous round.

A tear in his abdominal muscle wall kept the Serbian out against Al-Fayha, as the club announced earlier.

He has not yet recovered, and so he will miss the next two fixtures: Al-Faisaly in round 7 of the Roshn League, then Qatar's Al-Shamal in the opening round of the league phase, in the West group, of the AFC Champions League Elite. Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah revealed the news.

Al-Ittihad had confirmed that Rajkovic, along with the duo Ahmed Al-Julaidan and Moukhtar Ali, would miss the match against Al-Fayha through various injuries.

According to Arriyadiyah, the goalkeeper will only return to team training "after the break coinciding with the Saudi national team's participation in the Gulf Cup".

That tournament runs from 23 September this month until 6 October.