Anticipation builds for Ittihad-Atletico Madrid friendly

JEDDAH: Eleven days from now sports fans in Saudi Arabia will be treated to La Liga brand of football when Atletico Madrid travels to Jeddah for a friendly against Al-Ittihad football club.

The match set for Dec. 30 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium is being staged to celebrate 90 years of Ittihad club, the oldest and most prestigious of the clubs in the Kingdom.

Since the friendly was announced late last month anticipation was high with both teams highlighting news of the event in their websites. Ittihad club’s Vice President Omar Ahmed Massoud said: “I announce that on behalf of the club president, we intend on celebrating the passing of 90 years since the club’s foundation. That’s the kind of event that the board are keen on organizing in such a way to suit the historical stature of our great club.”

This will be the second high-profile match involving Saudi teams. Last week, league champion Al-Ahli played in an exhibition against another popular La Liga team Barcelona in Doha, which ended 5-3 to Barcelona. The match was sponsored by Qatar Airways.

The stadium, which opened two years ago, has a seating capacity of 62,000.

The Christmas break in La Liga has given Atletico a chance to travel to Saudi Arabia. Also, it was said that the reason Ittihad chose Atletico Madrid was the side’s incredible form in Spanish and European football as well as the fact that Atletico has not played in the Gulf region. Atletico won La Liga in 2014 was twice runner-up in the Champions League in 2014 and 2016.