Lineup Shake-Up for the Riyadh Derby: Jesus Bets on a Subtle Change
12 January 2026
Lineup tweak for the Riyadh Derby
Siamakan nears strengthening Al Nassr squad
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus has settled on a change to Al Nassr's starting lineup for the Riyadh derby.
Nassr meets Al Hilal this Monday evening at Kingdom Arena, in round 15 of Roshan Saudi League.
According to the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Jesus plans to rely on the same squad that faced Qadisya, making one change: Frenchman Mohamed Siamakan replaces Abdullah Al-Omari, as the stakes rise for the Riyadh clash tonight.
The Portuguese coach intends to field Nawaf Al-Akidi in goal, with Ayman Yahya at left-back, Sultan Al-Ghannam on the right, and Siamakan alongside Inigo Martinez in central defense, aiming to stabilize defense and tempo tonight.
In attack, Jesus will rely on Frenchman Kingsley Coman, Portuguese Joao Felix, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese coach urged all players to be ready before the next clash.
Nassr needs to win the derby to cut a four-point gap to Al Hilal, who lead the standings with 35 points.
Punchline: If this derby were a game of chess, Ronaldo would still be checking the king.
Punchline 2: The goalie saved a shot, but the crowd saved the popcorn budget—now that's efficiency.
