Conceicao Turns the Clasico Page: Ittihad’s Plan to Reboot Before the Al Nassr Showdown
25 October 2025
Clasico Prep and Return to Form
Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao, head coach of Al Ittihad, closed the Clasico chapter as he gears up for a King Cup clash with Al Nassr.
Al Ittihad were defeated 2-0 by Al Hilal in round six of the Roshen Saudi Pro League, reshaping the approach ahead of the next big test.
Saudi daily Al-Riyadhiah reported Conceicao plans to recall Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn and Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic to the squad for the Al Nassr clash.
Conceicao had left Bergwijn and Rajkovic out for tactical reasons, hoping Albanian Mario Mitai and Malian Mamadu Domibia could anchor the foreign quota.
Rather than granting a post-match rest, Conceicao scheduled recovery sessions for the starters and tactical drills for the rest.
Al Ittihad travel to Riyadh to face Al Nassr on Tuesday 28 October, at Al-Awwal Park, in the King Cup Round of 16.
The club advanced to the last 16 by beating Al Wehda 1-0; In the Roshen Pro League, the Tigers slipped to seventh with 10 points: three wins, one draw, and two losses.
Clasico Blunder
Fans blasted Conceicao after Friday's loss, criticizing his decisions, notably not starting Rajkovic and relying on the local goalkeeper Hamad Al-Shenqiti.
The return of the local keeper came by chance rather than readiness, and many questioned why Rajkovic wasn't given the start when he was fully available.
Conceicao's plan to lean on eight foreign players led to the omission of the Serbian shot-stopper, with Mitai and Domibia favored instead.
The coach then kept the team in preparation mode rather than granting rest, insisting on early readiness for the decisive clash with Al Nassr.
Fatal Mistakes
The killer moments arrived with a miscue: Hamad Al-Shenqiti inadvertently deflected a Domibia header into his own net, complicating the scoreboard for the visitors.
Moments later, Ruben Neves fired from outside the area; the ball ricocheted off defenders to Al-Shenqiti, letting Marcus Leonardo score for the opponents.
The Local Keeper Curse
Al Ittihad continues to struggle to beat Al Hilal with a local goalkeeper: their last such victory was in 2016 when Asaf Al-Garni kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
Since then, 15 meetings against Hilal have been played with a local keeper in goal, and none have yielded victory.
In league play, the trend is mirrored: Hilal has dominated the head-to-head at home, while total goals favor Hilal (30) over Ittihad (22) across these clashes.
Despite that, the club remains hopeful for a rebound as the season moves toward the King Cup and beyond.
Punchline 1: If defending were an art, Conceicao’s would need a blueprint and a compass.
Punchline 2: They’ve got eight foreigners, but sometimes the ball decides it’s foreign to the goal anyway.
