Saw pictures of Ballard in training. Assume he won't be playing tomorrow, but good to see the kid back, he's been a huge miss
O’Nien has filled in well enough but I’ll be pleased when Ballard is back starting in the heart of the defence. Massive miss.
How Al Shabab have performed this season? Al-Shabab, who are situated in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, have lifted the Saudi Professional League on six occasions but have gone 10 years without winning a league title. Their strong start to the current campaign has left them in good stead to end that drought. The White Lion sit at the top of the table, with seven wins and one draw from their opening eight games. They've scored a league-high 20 goals and conceded just two goals in the process, and boast a three-point lead over second-place Al-Nassr. Manager: Vicente Moreno Moreno is famed for leading RCD Mallorca into La Liga via back-to-back promotions. Although they suffered instant relegation in 2020, Moreno then joined Espanyol, who he guided to the Spanish second-tier title in 2021. The 48-year-old took over Al Shabab in July and is unbeaten with his new club - collecting seven wins from his opening eight games (D1). Key Player: Carlos Carlos is leading the race for the golden boot in the Saudi Pro League with six goals in seven appearances. The Brazilian currently sits ahead of former Benfica attacking midfielder Talisca and ex-Porto striker Moussa Marega. He has also scored five goals in four appearances in the AFC Champions League to extend his season total to 11 goals across all competitions. The 27-year-old arrived from Portuguese side Santa Clara in the summer of 2021, after previously playing for Louletano and Rio Ave in Europe. The winger started his career at Atletico Miniero, and also had stints at Internacional and Parana in his homeland. Ex-Argentina midfielder Ever Banega could be in action for the Saudi side. The 34-year-old was capped 65 times by his nation and starred for a number of high-profile clubs such as Valencia, Sevilla and Inter Milan.
https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...s-al-shabab-friendly-verdict-in-dubai-3931166 Another reason why this friendly makes sense to me. Gooch, Michut and Onien to name a few would have been going into next weeks game without playing competetivley for a long time.
I remember us nearly signing Banega about 10 years ago from Valencia, I wish we had. He used to be a very good player, not sure what hes like now but I'm sure he'd get a game for most Championship sides.
Part of me understands....but the chances of me seeing SAFC in this part of the world are slim....if they were playing theTaliban i'd still go and watch
Millwall have a game tomorrow aswell. We're not the only Championship club that's arranged a friendly but our fans dont like it for some reason?? On a side note, go and give Alex Neil a clip from me .
I dont think he will mate. He'll probably make a late appearance against Millwall next week for the final 10 mins and that's the first we'll see of him till after the World cup