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The state of play in the Saudi Pro League

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The second half of the Saudi Pro League season kicks off tomorrow with 15 rounds of matches left to play.

Big names will be raring to go after a prolonged winter break, while some in the division are match-ready after representing their countries at the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

Ahead of the league’s full return, we run you through the state of play in the Saudi top flight.

Who is top of the Saudi Pro League?

Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia’s most-decorated club with 66 major honours — currently lead the way with 53 points from their 19 matches.

Jorge Jesus’ star-studded outfit have won 17 games and have yet to taste defeat in the top flight this term.Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic have been in superb scoring form for Al-Hilal

Cristiano Ronaldo’s employers Al-Nassr are seven points behind Al-Hilal in second, with Al-Ahli and Al-Taawoun making up the rest of the top four.

Despite bringing in the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho last summer, defending champions Al-Ittihad sit fifth with just 31 points.

Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq are eighth and will be desperate to end a run of eight league matches without a victory.

Who is in the Saudi Pro League relegation battle?

Al-Hazm are rock bottom of the league with just 13 points and it will take something special for them to avoid the drop.

The same can be said for Abha in 17th with 14 points on the board, while Al-Tai make up the rest of the relegation zone on 17 points.

Al-Tai are two points behind Al-Riyadh, Al-Feiha and Al-Raed.

And 10th place Al-Khaleej are only five points ahead of Al-Tai, meaning we could be in for quite a battle to avoid relegation.

Who is the leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League?

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 38 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions for Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 38 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions for Al-Nassr

Al-Nassr superstar Ronaldo leads the Saudi Golden Boot race with an impressive 20 goals from just 18 appearances.

Ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is close behind the five-time Ballon d’Or winner — the Serb striking 17 times for Al-Hilal.

Damac winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou is the third-top scorer in the league with 14 goals in 17 matches.

Al-Ahli forward Firas Al-Buraikan (11 goals), Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr team-mate Anderson Talisca (11) and Al-Ittihad marksman Abderrazak Hamdallah (10) are the other three players to reach double figures.

Who has the most assists in the Saudi Pro League?

Allan Saint-Maximin has been a key player for Al-Ahli this season
Allan Saint-Maximin has been a key player for Al-Ahli this season

As well as leading the way for goals scored, Ronaldo is joint-top for assists with nine to his name.

Al-Taawoun playmaker Alvaro Medran is keeping pace with the Portugal international, although he has only found the back of the net himself once.

Al-Fateh star Mourad Batna boasts eight assists to go with his eight goals, while ex-Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin has tallied the same total in the creative department.

Saint-Maximin’s Al-Ahli colleague Riyad Mahrez sits on seven assists for the season, the same number as Al-Ittihad attacker Igor Coronado and Al-Wedha veteran Faycal Fajr.

Riyad Mahrez joined Al-Ahli from Manchester City last summer for a reported £30million
Riyad Mahrez joined Al-Ahli from Manchester City last summer for a reported £30million

Key fixtures remaining in the Saudi Pro League

March 1: Al-Hilal vs Al-Ittihad

March 15: Al-Ahli vs Al-Nassr

April 11: Al-Ahli vs Al-Ittihad

April 25: Al-Ahli vs Al-Hilal

May 16: Al-Nassr vs Al-Hilal

May 27: Al-Nassr vs Al-Ittihad

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Barcelona optimistic of signing Nico Williams in the summer

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FC Barcelona is hopeful about their prospects of acquiring the skilled winger Nico Williams during the upcoming summer transfer period.

Footballghana has previously reported that the La Liga team is eyeing the Spanish forward with Ghanaian roots to bolster their lineup for the forthcoming season.

Recent updates from Spain suggest that Barcelona’s management is actively pursuing the transfer.

The club is confident in finalizing an agreement with Athletic Club to secure Nico Williams prior to the commencement of the next season.

At present, Nico Williams’ contract includes a release clause valued at €55 million, which FC Barcelona is positioned to activate.

The forward’s exceptional performance over the last year has established him as one of the standout forwards in European football.

During the 2023/24 Spanish La Liga campaign, Nico Williams has contributed four goals and 10 assists across 29 matches.

In addition to Barcelona, numerous leading clubs, including Liverpool, have shown interest in him.

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Tariq Lamptey featured in Brighton’s defeat to Chelsea.

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The Electoral Commission (EC) has reassured the public that the missing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits cannot be utilised to access its system or data.

According to Dr Eric Bossman Asare, the BVRs, which include a laptop, are ineffective on their own and can only be activated by the EC.

Thus, they pose no threat to the integrity of elections, he stated.

Additionally, they cannot be used to register anyone during the ongoing limited voter registration exercise nor do they contain any sensitive data from the EC’s system, he said in an interview with JoyNews’ Evans Mensah.

Dr Bossman Asare stated, “The laptops on their own are insignificant. They are just like the laptops you use at your workplace. We’ve accounted for every single device that we’re going to be using.

“In 2020, when we did the registration, we bought 8,500 of the registration devices. We are not using all of them in this registration.”

“So that means the ones we are using now, we still have some there. So are you saying the EC will come and tell the Ghanaian people that five laptops are missing and we want to use those laptops to register people? Who in the EC is going to do that?” he quizzed.

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Wollacott keeps clean sheet for Hibernian in 3-0 mauling of Motherwell

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Ghana international Jojo Wollacott delivered a fine performance for Hibernian on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, when the team secured a 3-0 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

The Black Stars goalkeeper was in the starting lineup for his team in their Week 37 fixture.

Guarding the goal for the hosts, Jojo Wollacott made several good saves and maintained a clean sheet at the end of the 90 minutes, helping his team clinch all three points.

Hibernian was ahead by two goals at halftime, thanks to strikes from Myziane Maolida and Martin Boyle.

After the break, Martin Boyle found the net again to complete his brace, sealing a significant win for Hibernian against Motherwell.

Wollacott’s performance in today’s game is particularly important ahead of the June international break.

He needed the playing time to secure a spot in the Ghana squad for the upcoming matches against Mali and the Central African Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

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