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Joy Elite League: Al-Ittihad take on the side that suffered the competition’s worst defeat, while Al-Ahli approach the six-goal team with caution in round two.

Another high-voltage round is on the way in the Saudi Under-21 League.

The Joy Elite League, Saudi Arabia’s Under-21 tournament, continues this week, with supporters now waiting for the start of the second round in the competition’s second season.

The new season got under way last Sunday, 23 August, after a gripping first campaign that saw Al-Hazm lift the title in one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Round two fixtures in the Joy Elite League

The second round begins on Sunday, 30 August, with five matches. Al-Akhdoud start the programme by hosting Al-Faisaly at Damac Club Stadium in Khamis Mushait, while Neom are away to Al-Najma at Education Directorate Stadium in Unaizah.

Newly promoted Al-Ansar will welcome Al-Feiha at their ground in Medina, while fellow promoted side Al-Ittihad host Al-Tadhamon at their stadium in Jeddah. Al-Hilal also play at home in Riyadh against Al-Kholood.

The action continues with six matches on the second day, Monday, 31 August. Al-Khaleej host Al-Wehda in Sayhat, Al-Ettifaq entertain Damac in Dammam, and Al-Qadsiah travel to the Saudi capital to meet Al-Riyadh as strong favourites.

On the same day, Al-Taawoun travel to face Al-Orobah in Al-Jouf, while Al-Nassr host Al-Jabalain in Riyadh. Al-Ahli bring the round to a close when they face Al-Fateh at their stadium in Jeddah.

One fixture has been postponed. Defending champions Al-Hazm were due to host newly promoted Al-Watan at their stadium in Al-Rass, but that game has been rescheduled for Monday, 25 January next year.

Al-Ittihad against the biggest victims

Newly promoted Al-Tadhamon attracted more attention than any other team in the opening round, but for all the wrong reasons. They became the biggest victims in the history of the competition.

The newcomers began life in the Saudi Under-21 League with a historic 10-1 defeat against Al-Ettifaq, the heaviest loss ever recorded by any team in the competition.

That result left Al-Tadhamon rooted to the bottom in 24th place, still without a point and carrying a goal difference of minus nine. The concern is that matters could become even worse when they travel to face Al-Ittihad in round two.

For Al-Ittihad, meanwhile, the match may represent an ideal chance to recover their spark in the best possible way. They disappointed in the opening round, becoming the only side to play out a goalless draw, away to Damac.

Placed tenth with one point, Al-Ittihad have made an uneasy start. Supporters of “the Dean” were far from pleased with last season, and they are now looking for reassurance through a convincing win over Al-Tadhamon.

Al-Hilal face the unknown

Al-Hilal will play their second Joy Elite League match of the season, but they come up against an opponent they still do not know much about when they host Al-Khaleej at home in Riyadh.

Al-Hilal opened their Saudi Under-21 League campaign with a dramatic win over newly promoted Al-Faisaly. After falling behind to a second-minute goal, they turned the match around and won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Turki Al-Ghamil, a result that lifted them to seventh place on 3 points.

Their limited knowledge of Al-Faisaly, who were playing their first match in the Joy Elite League, caused “the Leader” genuine problems. The same issue could arise again in the second round against Al-Khaleej, even though the visitors are now in their second season in the competition.

Al-Khaleej, unlike Al-Hilal, are yet to start their Saudi Under-21 League season. Their opening fixture against Al-Akhdoud has been postponed until 18 December.

There is another concern for Al-Hilal as well: an awkward record against this opponent. They failed to beat Al-Khaleej in their only Joy Elite League meeting last season, with that game ending 0-0 in the penultimate round of the league stage.

That draw played a major role in denying the Riyadh side top spot in the league stage. They finished second, just one point behind Al-Ettifaq, and they are desperate not to suffer a similar setback so early in the new season.

Al-Ettifaq aim to hold on to first place

As the second day’s action begins, Al-Ettifaq will try to protect their place at the top of the Joy Elite League when they host Damac in Dammam, a position they have held ever since the end of last season’s league phase.

Al-Ettifaq were eliminated in the quarter-finals last season, but they still finished top of the league phase with 41 points, one point ahead of second-placed Al-Hilal.

They have carried that lead into the current campaign, and in extraordinary style. Their historic 10-1 demolition of newly promoted Al-Tadhamon produced the biggest scoreline ever seen in the Joy Elite League.

Even so, staying on top will not be straightforward. Damac stand in their way after holding Al-Ittihad to the only goalless draw of the opening round.

Damac sit 11th with one point after that stalemate, and they will be targeting at least another point against the Knight of Al-Dahna.

Al-Nassr begin against the team that beat the champions

The Joy Elite League may already be entering round two, but Al-Nassr are only now preparing to start their season when they host Al-Jabalain at their stadium in Riyadh.

They did not play their round-one fixture against Al-Watan, with that match postponed until 18 December, so their first appearance of the campaign will come against Al-Jabalain.

“Al-Alami” want to celebrate the occasion with all three points and send a reassuring message to supporters still hurting from last season’s quarter-final exit.

It will not be an easy assignment. Al-Jabalain produced the biggest upset of the opening round by defeating defending champions Al-Hazm 2-1 with a dramatic winner in the 85th minute.

Lifted by that result, Al-Jabalain will believe they can cause another surprise against Al-Nassr. Even a draw would suit them, strengthening their hold on a top-10 place. They currently sit eighth with 3 points.

Al-Ahli wary of the side that scored six

Al-Ahli will be in the spotlight in the final game of the round, as they face their first serious test of the season against Al-Fateh, runners-up in the last edition of the Saudi Under-21 League.

The campaign began well for Al-Ahli. A 3-1 victory over Al-Feiha, inspired by Ziyad Iba, moved them into fourth place in the standings with 3 points.

That result sent a reassuring message to Al-Ahli supporters that last season’s collapse, when the side stumbled to 15th place in the league stage, would not be repeated.

But proving that is a different challenge. Al-Fateh are a difficult and stubborn opponent, having finished last season as runners-up in the Saudi Under-21 League title race before losing 1-3 to Al-Hazm in the final.

That achievement was no fluke either. Al-Fateh began the new campaign with an emphatic 6-0 victory over newly promoted Al-Ansar, leaving them second in the table on goal difference behind Al-Ettifaq.

Notable numbers

The opening round of the Saudi Under-21 League featured 10 matches, and nine of them produced winners. The only exception was the goalless draw between Al-Ittihad and Damac.

Across those 10 games, 36 goals were scored, giving an average of 3.6 goals per match, a remarkably high return.

Al-Ettifaq own the strongest attack in the league after the first round, having scored 10 goals. Al-Ittihad, Damac, Al-Taawoun, Al-Fateh, Neom and Al-Wehda are the teams that have yet to concede after playing their matches.

On the individual front, Mohammed Al-Aissa leads the scoring chart after round one. The Al-Ettifaq player has 4 goals, ahead of Al-Ahli’s Ziyad Aba and Al-Fateh striker En-Nesyri, who both have 3.