Pitso Mosimane has two remaining chances to roll the dice in hopes of a get-out-of-jail card in the Saudi Pro League, as the three-time CAF Champions League winner desperately needs maximum points in a fight against relegation.
Accustomed to fighting for top honours on the African continent where the former Bafana Bafana head coach has won several titles with Mamelodi Sundowns and Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly – this is arguably one of Mosimane’s most challenging tasks he has been confronted with in his career.
‘Jingles’ will lead his Abha side in a league match against Al Khaleej on Thursday night where they seek a first win in three outings. Abha are involved in a relegation quagmire with just two games left to play.
Sitting in 17th position in the 18-team league standings, having collected 29 points from 32 matches – Abha’s fate is not entirely in their hands.
Abha can win both games against Khaleej and rock-bottom Al Hazem but will rely on the teams above them to drop points if they have any hopes of avoiding relegation to Saudi Arabia’s second-tier league.
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Mosimane will pin his hopes on players like former Paris Saint Germain and Sevilla star Grzegorz Krychowiak, the club’s top goal-getter with nine strikes to his name.
Mosimane may also be tempted to restore Tunisian midfielder Saad Bguir to the starting line-up as the former Esperance player is an influential figure from midfield, as the two-time CAF Champions League champions holder serves as the bridge between defence and attack.
Meanwhile, Mosimane will have one eye on the encounter between Al Akhdoud and Al Wehda, hoping that the latter do his side a favour.
At the same time, Al Taee – who are two points ahead of Abha – are in action against champions-elect Al Hilal and would need to dig deep to get a result against an outfit that has not tasted defeat the entire season.
Abha and Khaleej’s match is set to take place in Abha’s backyard, where they have been quite impressive this season, picking up 29 points at the Prince Sultan bin Aziz Stadium, ranking as the fifth-best performer on home soil.
All matches are scheduled for a simultaneous kick-off at 20:00 (SA time).
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