Home Fortress in Focus: Jaissle’s Ahli Ready to Face Riyadh at Home

German coach Matthias Jaissle of Al-Ahli Jeddah says the team intends to keep delivering strong performances and secure positive results as they host Al-Riyadh on Thursday at Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Jeddah, in the seventh round of the Roshen Saudi Pro League.

In the press conference, Jaissle explained that after a quick return from Al-Batin this morning there is little time to prepare, but the team has a solid record of keeping clean sheets in the last three matches and must maintain that level of performance.

Ahli arrives at this match buoyed by a convincing cup win over Al-Batin, and Jaissle aims to sustain the growing cohesion among his squad, especially at the back where improvement has been evident in recent weeks.

Cup Victory Keeps Ahli's Push Alive

Ahli advanced to the quarterfinals of the King Cup with a 3-0 victory over Al-Batin in the Round of 16. The goals came from Turki Al-Jalfan (an own goal by the Batin defender at 22), Firas Al-Breikan at 50, and Ivan Toni at 65.

The next round draw was scheduled for tomorrow at 3 PM Mecca time, announced by the competition's official account. Jaissle said the win was deserved, noting that knockout football is challenging but his team showed character.

He also declined to discuss the absence of key executives, saying he trusts the medical staff and that the season remains long.

Season in Flux, Preview of Riyadh Clash

Jaissle highlighted a busy spell across league and cup and emphasized the need for tactical and physical balance to keep the team on track. He also discussed player rotation, pointing out two less favorable rotations in previous campaigns and praising how the squad performed in both cups and league this season.

Ahli’s campaign has alternated between domestic triumphs and periodic dips, but they began 2025-2026 with the Saudi Super Cup and showed resilience in a string of results, including notable results in Asia, where they navigated group-stage tests and progressed to knockout rounds in the King Cup and other continental competitions.

Heading into Thursday, Ahli sit fifth with 12 points, while Riyadh are 13th with 6. Over the last two seasons in Roshen Saudi Pro League meetings, Ahli has dominated, winning three of four with a solitary loss. In 2023-2024, Ahli won 3-0 away before losing 1-2 at home; in 2024-2025, Ahli blasted Riyadh 5-0 in the first leg and won 1-0 in the return. In total, Ahli has tallied nine goals to Riyadh’s two since the Riyadh return to top-flight, underscoring Ahli’s on-field advantage before the upcoming clash.

Sniper punchline 1: If defense wins games, Ahli just built a fortress and forgot to install a mortgage—the gates are closed, and the only key is Jaissle’s playbook.

Sniper punchline 2: Riyadh brings the heat, but the fortress runs on cold water—Jaissle’s back line has already iced the match before the warm-up.