Al Faisaly host Al Nassr in Matchweek 11 of the Saudi Pro League on 23 October 2026. Al Faisaly sit 14th after nine matches with seven points (one win, four draws and four defeats) having conceded 17 goals along the way, while Al Nassr are third with 22 points from seven wins, one draw and one loss and a +13 goal difference. Al Faisaly need points to pull clear of the bottom three, Al Nassr are chasing the title and a Champions League spot.
Giovanni Solinas and Ange Postecoglou have never faced each other, so there is no tactical history to draw on, with Solinas managing Al Faisaly since at least 2025 and Postecoglou appointed on 3 July 2026 to replace Jorge Jesus.
Al Faisaly's last five league outings read D W L D D: a 2-2 draw with Al Shabab, a 3-2 win over Al Kholood, a 1-3 loss to Al Ittihad and then back to back draws. Al Nassr arrive in better shape, their sequence reading W W D W L, with a 1-0 win over NEOM SC on 20 October and a 3-0 victory against Al Diriyah on 9 October and a 1-1 draw against Al Khaleej in September their only real stumble.
Al Faisaly go in without Khalid Al-Harbi and Abdulrahman Al-Safari, both out with undisclosed injuries and Ahmed Abdu, still recovering from knee surgery. The loss of three players across midfield and attack forces Solinas into reshuffles that leave him without natural cover in central areas. Al Nassr have one confirmed absence in Sultan Al-Ghannam, out with a cruciate ligament tear until around the end of December, which costs them some defensive width.
Solinas tends to line Al Faisaly up in a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3, with Alexandre Mendy leading the line as the main target man, winning aerial duels and relying on runners to attack the knockdowns. Andrei Girotto contributes goals and assists across midfield and defence, while Abdoulaye Seck anchors the back line. The three absentees leave nobody obvious to carry the ball quickly into the channels and with fewer options for a short pass out of defence, Al Faisaly are set up to struggle against Al Nassr's press.
Postecoglou runs a high pressing 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 built on possession and fast vertical play, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line and finding space when the wide players draw defenders. Sadio Mane operates from the left while Joao Felix works between the lines and Inigo Martinez organises the back four. Al Nassr have won seven of 12 meetings with Al Faisaly historically, including a 4-0 league win in January 2022, with Al Faisaly claiming just two victories and three matches ending in draws.
Al Faisaly's most realistic route to goal comes from dead ball situations, with Mendy and Girotto both capable of threatening from corners and free kicks. Al Nassr have the aerial presence through Martinez and Ronaldo to deal with those deliveries while posing their own threat from set pieces.
Al Faisaly 0-3 Al Nassr. With three midfielders absent, Al Faisaly have no natural cover in the middle of the park and Al Nassr's press should force errors early, leaving Ronaldo and Mane well placed to punish them.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
