LONDON: The Saudi Pro League returns from the international break with the biggest of possible bangs. It is “Derby Week.” In Riyadh on Friday, Al-Hilal will no doubt warmly welcome their close rivals Al-Nassr, while 24 hours later, the focus of the country’s fans moves west to Jeddah with Al-Ahli hosting Al-Ittihad in what is known as “The Sea Derby.” There is also the small matter of “The Eastern Derby.”

These meetings are big enough in their own right but they will also have a major impact on the title race. As things stand, with 25 out of 34 games played, it is like this: Al-Ittihad are first with 61 points, then comes Al-Hilal with 57, Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah have 51 each with Al-Ahli back in fifth with three points fewer.

If Al-Hilal win then they really put the pressure on the leaders. It would not be a surprise given that the last time Nassr won a league clash between the two Riyadh giants was back in 2021. Yet Al-Hilal are on a relatively poor run of just five wins from their last 10 games. That has even led to talk of Jorge Jesus, the coach who delivered the world record-winning streak of 34 games last year, being under pressure. Yet, the Portuguese boss has even been named a contender to take the Brazil job with the South Americans in shock after a 4-1 loss to Argentina last week that led to the firing of Dorival Junior.

Whatever happens with Jesus — and it would be quite something if a coach left an SPL club to take over the most successful national team in the world — there is some good news in the short term. OK, he is without his compatriot and right-back Joao Cancelo, who has impressed since his move from Manchester City but is not quite recovered from a hamstring injury, but others are returning. At the back Yasser Al-Shahrani is ready to come back after a lengthy playoff and Renan Lodi is also available.

Further up the pitch, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should be fit as should Mohamed Kanno, injured while on recent international duty. And then there is the long-awaited return of Aleksander Mitrovic. The Serbian striker scored 13 goals in 14 league games before his injury and his absence since December has been an issue. Fit and raring to go, he could just make the difference. For sure, Al-Nassr will not be too happy to see him.

Hilal need the win to keep pressure up at the top but the Yellows are in a battle for third and a place in the AFC Champions Elite with Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli. A victory for Al-Nassr, after three defeats and three draws since their last league win, would also be meaningful for coach Stefano Pioli as the Italian has yet to show he can produce a title-winning team.

As ever there will be plenty of attention, on and off the pitch, on Cristiano Ronaldo. The league’s top scorer with 19 goals will be keen to add to his haul — and renew his rivalry with Ali Al-Bulaihi if the defender is fit — as well as continue his partnership with Jhon Duran. At the back, Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte looks to have recovered from injury. Al-Nassr have the faintest of title hopes and a win keeps those alive and will do plenty of damage to those of their biggest rival.

Laurent Blanc would love for that to happen even if Al-Ittihad have failed to take advantage of the relative stumbles of Hilal, drawing three of their last four games. The four-point gap could be crucial, however, especially as Hilal are still very much in the running for the Asian Champions League and could face three games in the space of 10 days from the end of April to early May.

Heading into the “Sea Derby,” a 60,000 sellout, coach Blanc is going to be without Mario Mitaj for some time as the Albanian defender is injured, but the Tigers will be on a high after their dramatic 3-2 win over Al-Shabab in the semifinal of the King’s Cup on Tuesday.

Al-Ahli would also love to damage the title chances of their Jeddah rivals but for the Greens, it is also about getting into next season’s Champions League. Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney have been in excellent form of late and are capable of winning any match.

And, not to be forgotten, is the Eastern Derby. Al-Qadsiah are enjoying themselves after promotion and a fine season would become even better if they can beat their local rivals Ettifaq and gain some ground in the race for third, and even second. Fourteen wins from 16 league games from October to February had them near the title race before just one win from the last four.

Ettifaq have been on a decent run since the departure of Steven Gerrard in January and have climbed into seventh. It will not be an easy game for Al-Qadsiah but then, this is “Derby Week” after all.

LONDON: Muhanad Al-Saad knows what it is like to make history. In February, he became the first player from Saudi Arabia to score in the French league when he headed in USL Dunkerque’s second goal in their Ligue 2 victory over Clermont Foot 63. It was a surreal moment for Al-Saad, one few — himself included — could have predicted.

Now Al-Saad faces another momentous occasion, as second-tier Dunkerque face the might of Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France semifinals on Tuesday.

Al-Saad and his team-mates are aiming to become the first club outside Ligue 1 to reach the final since Les Herbiers in 2018; only once has the 107-year-old competition been won by a side from outside the top flight, and that was Le Havre back in 1959.

“It’s definitely a tough match,” Al-Saad told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “You’re talking about one of the biggest clubs in France and Europe. But we’re excited and confident — we’ll give it everything we have (to) try to secure a spot in the final and make history.”

It is the first time since 1929 that Dunkerque have reached the last four of the Coupe de France and a spot in the final would break new ground for the club.

The match has been moved from Dunkerque’s 5,000-capacity Stade Marcel-Tribut to Lille’s 50,000-seater Stade Pierre Mauroy. The “hosts” are targeting a major cup upset but PSG have already shown they will not cave to romantic footballing dreams; in the quarterfinals, Luis Enrique’s side thrashed fourth-tier Stade Briochin 7-0.

That 21-year-old Al-Saad will line up against the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola is a remarkable turn of events. The Mecca-born winger initially played for the Al-Ahli academy but was released at the age of 15.

He was picked up by Al-Ettifaq much later — in 2023 — and found himself promoted to the first-team squad by then-coach Steven Gerrard.

“In my first session with Steven Gerrard, he asked why I hadn’t joined the pre-season camp,” Al-Saad recalled. “He told me, ‘From today, you’re with the first team.’ Everyone knows what a great player and leader he was at Liverpool.”

However, after featuring for just 30 minutes across five games during the 2023-24 campaign, Al-Saad reassessed his options and decided to embark on a new challenge at NEOM.

“I don’t know the exact reason for my limited playing time but during pre-season in Spain, my agent spoke to me about a good offer from NEOM and I decided to make the move,” he said.

Al-Saad became a regular for the team in the first half of the 2024-25 season, scoring five goals in 15 games as NEOM laid down a marker for promotion from the Saudi First Division.

“It was a short stint, but a very special one,” Al-Saad said. “I got the chance to play with high-level players like Ahmed Hegazi, Salman Al-Faraj, Romarinho and many others. It was a great experience, and we did our part as a team.”

Despite helping NEOM into pole position for promotion to the Saudi Pro League next season, Al-Saad — who also impressed with two goals in four games for the Saudi U-21s in 2024 — opted to leave the Kingdom in January.

Dunkerque, who have former Chelsea and Newcastle United striker Demba Ba as their sporting director, were in the midst of their own bid for top-flight promotion. Both Ba and Portuguese coach Luis Castro saw great potential in Al-Saad and swooped to sign him on loan.

“I’m not sure if there were other clubs involved, but Dunkerque showed real interest and made it clear they wanted me,” Al Saad said. “I was excited about the opportunity and eager to play in Ligue 2.

“I’m so proud to have become the first Saudi player to score in the French league. It was a great feeling and a moment of pride for me and my country.”

Al-Saad has started six of Dunkerque’s past seven games and the team currently lies fifth in the Ligue 2 table; the clubs finishing in third, fourth and fifth qualify for the Ligue 1 promotion play-offs.

While the young Saudi is fully focused on facing PSG in the Coupe de France on Tuesday, he also admits he has been thinking carefully about his future — and is keen to stay in France to further his development.

“Yes, I’m on loan, but I’m really enjoying the experience and feel that it’s helping me grow. If you ask me, I’d say yes - I’d love to stay. Playing abroad at this stage of my career is teaching me a lot.”

The lessons Al-Saad has already learned, coupled with his stellar performances for Dunkerque, were recognized in March when he received his first call-up to the Saudi Arabia national team.

Although he didn’t feature in either of the Green Falcons’ FIFA World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan, Al-Saad relished the experience of working with coach Herve Renard and hopes he will continue to feature in the squad.

“It was my first call-up to the senior national team, and I was very proud to represent my country,” Al-Saad said.

“My relationship with Hervé Renard was great — he spoke to me often and showed genuine interest in both the local and international players. He’s a strong personality and a top-level coach.”