Joei Elite League: Al-Ittihad face their worst victim, and Al-Ahli wary of the six-goal scorer in round two

The Saudi Under-21 League is set for another explosive round.

The Joy Elite League, Saudi Arabia's Under-21 competition, rolls on. Fans are now waiting for the second round of the second season to begin.

Last Sunday, 23 August, the new campaign kicked off. It follows a gripping opening season that Al-Hazm claimed in one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Round two fixtures of the Joy Elite League

The second round of the Roshn Saudi Pro League gets under way on Sunday 30 August with five matches. Al-Akhdoud open proceedings by hosting Al-Faisaly at the Damac Club Stadium in Khamis Mushait, while Neom travel to face Al-Najma at the Education Directorate Stadium in Unaizah.

Newly promoted Al-Ansar host Al-Feiha at their stadium in Medina, while fellow promoted side Al-Ittihad welcome Al-Tadhamon at their stadium in Jeddah. Al-Hilal also host Al-Kholood at their stadium in Riyadh.

Six matches follow on the second day, Monday 31 August. Al-Khaleej host Al-Wehda at their stadium in Sayhat, while Al-Ettifaq host Damac at their stadium in Dammam and Al-Qadsiah travel as heavy visitors to face Al-Riyadh in the Saudi capital.

Al-Taawoun also travel to face Al-Orobah in Al-Jouf on the same day, while Al-Nassr host Al-Jabalain at their stadium in Riyadh. Al-Ahli close out the round when they meet Al-Fateh at their stadium in Jeddah.

One match has been postponed. Title holders Al-Hazm host newly promoted Al-Watan at their stadium in Al-Rass, a fixture that will now be held on Monday 25 January next year.

Al-Ittihad against the worst victim

Al-Tadamon, newly promoted to the elite division, drew more attention than anyone else in the opening round. Not for any positive reasons, though. They became the worst victim in the history of the competition.

The newcomers began their Saudi Under-21 League campaign with a historic 10-1 defeat to Al-Ettifaq, the heaviest loss any team has suffered in the competition's history.

That result left Al-Tadamon rooted to the bottom in 24th, without a single point and with a goal difference of minus nine. The worry is it could get worse when they visit Al-Ittihad in the second round.

Al-Ittihad, for their part, may see this match as a golden opportunity to restore their sparkle in the best possible manner. They flopped in the opening round, the only side to play out a goalless draw with their hosts Damac.

Sitting tenth with a single point, Al-Ittihad have made an unsettling start. Fans of "the Dean" were far from satisfied with last season, and they are looking for reassurance through a comprehensive victory over Al-Tadamon.

Al-Hilal faces the unknown

Al-Hilal will play their second match in the elite jawwy league this season, but they will face a largely unknown side when they host Al-Khaleej at their home ground in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Al-Hilal opened their Saudi Under-21 League campaign with a dramatic win over newly promoted Al-Faisaly. Trailing to a goal in the second minute, they turned the game around to win 2-1 through a brace from Turki Al-Ghamil, a result that lifted them to seventh on three points.

Their lack of familiarity with Al-Faisaly, who were playing their first match in the elite jawwy league, caused "The Leader" real problems. The same issue looms in the second round against Al-Khaleej, even though their opponents are into their second season in the competition.

Al-Khaleej, unlike Al-Hilal, have yet to kick off their Saudi Under-21 League campaign. Their opening match against Al-Akhdoud has been pushed back to 18 December.

Adding to Al-Hilal's concern is a bogey record. They failed to beat Al-Khaleej in their only meeting in the elite jawwy league last season, a goalless draw in the penultimate round of the league stage.

That stalemate went a long way to costing the capital club top spot in the league stage. They slipped to second, a single point behind Al-Ettifaq, and they are desperate to avoid a repeat so early in the new campaign.

السطر The Agreement to maintain top spot

As the second day begins, Al-Ettifaq will look to preserve their lead at the top of the Joy Elite League, a position they have not relinquished since the end of the league phase last season, as they host Damac in Dammam.

Al-Ettifaq bowed out in the quarter-finals last season, yet they topped the league phase on 41 points, a single point clear of second-placed Al-Hilal.

That lead carried into the current season, and not in any ordinary fashion. A historic 10-1 rout of newly promoted Al-Tadhamon handed them the biggest scoreline in the history of the Joy Elite League.

Holding on to top spot will be anything but easy. Damac stand in their way, fresh from pegging back Al-Ittihad in the only goalless draw of the opening round.

Sitting eleventh with a single point after that draw, Damac are chasing at least one more against the Knight of Al-Dahna.

Al-Nassr begin against the champion's conqueror

The Joy Elite League may be entering its second round, but Al-Nassr are only just beginning their campaign when they host Al-Jabalain at their stadium in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

They never played their first-round fixture against Al-Watan. That tie was pushed back to 18 December, so their opening appearance of the season comes against Al-Jabalain.

"Al-Alami" want to mark the occasion with all three points and send a reassuring message to fans still smarting from last season's quarter-final exit.

The task will be anything but simple. Al-Jabalain produced the biggest shock of the first round, toppling defending champions Al-Hazem 2-1 with a last-gasp winner in the 85th minute.

Buoyed by that result, Al-Jabalain will fancy causing more upsets against Al-Nassr. Even a draw would do, tightening their grip on a top-ten spot. They sit eighth on 3 points.

Al-Ahly wary of the man with six goals

Al-Ahli take centre stage in the round's closing match, facing their first tough test of the season against Al-Fateh, runners-up in the last edition of the Roshn Saudi Pro League.

The season started well for Al-Ahli. A 3-1 win over Al-Feiha, lit up by Ziyad Iba, lifted them to fourth in the table on 3 points.

That result carried a reassuring message to the Al-Ahli faithful: last season's collapse, when the team limped to fifteenth in the league stage, will not be repeated.

Proving it is another matter. Al-Fateh are a difficult and stubborn opponent, having finished last season as runners-up in the Saudi Under-21 League title, beaten 1-3 by Al-Hazm in the final.

Nor was that achievement down to chance. Al-Fateh opened the new campaign with a thumping 6-0 win over newly promoted Al-Ansar, sitting second in the table on goal difference behind Al-Ettifaq.

Notable figures

The opening round of the Roshn Saudi Pro League produced 10 matches. Nine ended in wins. The only exception was a goalless draw between Al-Ittihad and Damac.

Those 10 games delivered 36 goals, an average of 3.6 per match. That is a remarkably high figure.

Al-Ettifaq boast the sharpest attack in the Roshn Saudi Pro League after the first round, banging in 10 goals. Al-Ittihad, Damac, Al-Taawoun, Al-Fateh, NEOM and Al-Wehda are the sides yet to concede after playing their matches.

Mohammed Al-Aissa leads the way for individuals. The Al-Ettifaq star tops the scoring charts after the first round with 4 goals, ahead of Al-Ahli's Ziyad Aba and Al-Fateh striker En-Nesyri, who both have 3.