What it would take Pitso Mosimane to gain promotion in Saudi Pro League
Pitso Mosimane made it clear that his mandate is to gain promotion in the Saudi Pro League with the fallen giant Al-Ahli Saudi. However, what it would take for Mosimane to achieve his goal at the end of the season?
It’s been two matches since Pitso Mosimane begun his tenure as Al-Ahli Saudi caoch.
He started with a draw against Jeddah before registering his first victory against Najran on Tuseday.
LEAGUE SYSTEM
The Saudi Pro League consists of 16 teams, whilst the Saudi First Division League has 20 teams.
At the end of the season, the three bottom teams from the Pro League get relegated, and the top three teams in the First Division are promoted.
Therefore, for Mosimanae to return to the Saudi Arabian topflight, Al-Ahli Saudi must finish in position three or above. The league doesn’t have playoffs.
2021/22 Saudi Pro League champions
Al-Hilal won the 2021/22 Saudi Pro League championship with 67 points, AI-Ittihad were second placed with 65 points and third place finishers Al-Nassr had accumulated 61 points.
The champions and runners-up automatically qualify for Asian Football Confederation Champions [AFC] League group stages, whilst number three finisher goes to AFC Champions League qualifiers playoffs.
2021/22 First Division League champions
The trio of Al-Khaleej, Al-Adalah and Al-Wehda gained promotion to the Pro League at the end of the 2021/22 season. It was a tight contest as the three teams were only separated by a single point.
Al-Khaleej and Al-Adalah finished the season at par with 66 points respectively, however Al-Khaleej were crowned champions because of better goal difference. Al-Wehda finished third with 65 points.
Mosimane’s biggest threats in Division one
Al-Ahli Saudi has three threats this season that will be challenging them for promotion. These are namely; Al-Akhdoud, Al-Hazm and Al-Faisaly.
Al-Akhdoud sits at the summit of the First Division with 15 points, last season they finished 12th. Al-Hazm and Al-Faisalyare second and third on the table with 14 points and 13 points respectively. The duo was relegated from the Pro League at the end of last season after finishing 16th and 14th respectively.
Top players in Saudi First Division
Filip bradaric
The 30-year-old midfielder plays for Al-Ahli Saudi. He has represented the Croatia national team, he played for La Liga side Celta Vigo and for Serie A outfit Calgliari.
Walter Bwalya
The DR Congo striker plays for Al-Qadsiah. The 27-year-old is a former Al Ahly player.
Luka Stojanovic
The Serbian midfielder plays for AL-Hazm. The 28-year-old once played for Royal Antwerp.
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