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Well, that's my point. I also don't mean to predict Al Hazm as a top-five contender. I was just talking about Al-Ahli and Al-Qadisiyah as examples from previous seasons. But I think this Saudi League is more intense than expected. Because it seems like every match is quite difficult to predict. Maybe we can't even bet much except on a few matches that pit a strong team against a team considered weak.
Al-Ittifaq's next match will be against Al-Kholood. And it seems like the match has already started. What are your thoughts on this match? Do Al-Ittifaq deserve to be the favorites? I don't know much about this team yet, but they seem to have a pretty reliable squad in terms of depth.
Al-Ahli and Al-Ettifaq may be exceptions. Just look at their transfer market moves. They've been actively purchasing many quality players from Europe, which has brought their performance up to par with other strong teams in the SPL, such as Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ittihad. Since Al-Ahli is also part of the PIF, we can understand this. Meanwhile, Al-Qadisiyah has substantial funding behind them, allowing them to make significant moves in the transfer market, making them a strong team.
As for Al-Ettifaq vs. Al-Kholood, I think Al-Ettifaq is the deserved favorite. But since it's early in the season, we shouldn't expect too much.
Yes, Al-Qadisiyah seems to have strong financial support, similar to the teams under the PIF. This allows them to purchase several expensive players from Europe quite easily. Al-Qadisiyah, owned by Saudi Aramco, will certainly have no financial difficulties, so you're right, this team is indeed capable of competing fiercely, as it boasts the same squad depth as other strong teams.
The Al-Ettifaq vs. Al-Kholood match just ended in the first half, with the score at 1-1. It seems Al-Ettifaq isn't performing as well as I had hoped. But perhaps it's just the start of the season, so we should be prepared for surprising results. Not only in the Saudi Pro League, but in major European leagues, there are also many surprises at the start of the season.