October 16 (Reuters Arabic Sports Service) - After the end of the international break, the Saudi Professional Football League resumes with the start of the fifth round, which begins tomorrow, Friday, with Al-Ittihad facing Al-Fayhaa. The defending champions hope to make a strong start under their new coach, Sergio Conceicao.

On October 8, the federation announced the appointment of Portuguese coach Conceicao as the team's coach, succeeding Frenchman Laurent Blanc, with a contract that runs until 2028. The federation had terminated its contract with Blanc and his coaching staff in late September, one day after the loss to Al-Nassr.

Al-Ittihad is in third place with nine points, having earned three consecutive victories at the start of its title defense before losing 2-0 to Al-Nassr in the fourth round.

Former AC Milan coach Conceicao expressed his enthusiasm for a successful start with Al-Ittihad, saying in a video posted by the club on its X account a few days ago, "What I see is a great club, a club that wins titles and is accustomed to winning and triumphing. We came here with the intention of continuing the club's journey of winning championships."

Al-Nassr, coached by Jorge Jesus, will be looking to continue their winning streak in all competitions and maintain their status as the only team to have won all their league matches this season when they host Al-Fateh on Saturday.

In addition to their consecutive victories at the start of their league campaign, Al-Nassr made a strong start in the AFC Champions League 2 with a resounding 5-0 win over Istiklol Dushanbe on September 17, and also qualified for the round of 16 of the Saudi King's Cup with a resounding 4-0 win over Jeddah.

Al-Nassr fans are looking forward to the continued brilliance of Portuguese stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, after Ronaldo scored twice in his country's 2-2 draw with Hungary in World Cup qualifiers. Sadio Mane also scored a brace, leading his country to a 4-0 victory over Mauritania to top Group B in the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Al-Hilal hopes to improve their position in the league standings when they meet Al-Ettifaq on Saturday. Al-Hilal has recorded two wins and two draws, placing them sixth with eight points.

All eyes will be on the anticipated match at the end of the round on Sunday between NEOM, who are buoyed by three consecutive league wins, and Al-Qadisiyah, who are in second place with ten points.

Al-Ahli, the AFC Champions League and Saudi Super Cup holders, will play their match of the round against Al-Shabab tomorrow, Friday, hours after Al-Kholod's match against Al-Najma. Meanwhile, Al-Akhdoud will face Al-Hazem on Saturday, while Al-Khaleej will face Al-Riyadh and Al-Taawoun will face Damac on Sunday.

(Press coverage for the Arabic edition by Basem Zahran)