Ahead of Thursday’s deadline, our weekly Scout Squad piece tries to identify who will be the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) Fantasy’s best Round 1 players.

• READ MORE: Saudi Pro League Fantasy Round 1 – Best picks, tips + more

Looking at these fixtures in isolation, our team of Chris, Louis, Amer and Marc are discussing the best picks.

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SCOUT SQUAD: BEST SAUDI LEAGUE PLAYERS FOR ROUND 1

Focusing only on the upcoming Round, the Scout Squad doesn’t require any medium-term planning.

• FOUR PICKS: Cristiano Ronaldo, Abderrazzaq Hamdallah, Mateo Retegui, Joao Cancelo, Roger Ibanez, Salem Al Dawsari
• THREE PICKS: Karim Benzema, Ivan Toney, Mourad Batna, Wesley Hoedt, Yassine Bono, Koen Casteels

MARC SAID…

For Round 1, I’m tripling up on Al Ittihad as the champions are away at Al Okhdood, who were one point off relegation last time.

Karim Benzema scored 21 times, assisted another 10 and was the league’s second-best for non-penalty shots on target (54). Because the new rules award one extra point each time an attacker accumulates three of them in one match, he could be an even better pick.

• READ MORE: Saudi Pro League – New rules to RSL Fantasy

I’m also all-in on Al Ahli, knowing that Riyad Mahrez ranked number one for key passes (95). Every two big chances created now gains a point. New 6.0m teammate Enzo Millot is my cheap midfield pick.

Meanwhile, Al Qadsiah are at home to newly-promoted Al Najma, so I’ve chosen two from them, just like Al Shabab, Neom and the immensely talented Al Hilal squad.

Abderrazzaq Hamdallah has 150 goals from seven Saudi Pro League campaigns, while 15 goals and 19 assists ensured Salem Al Dawsari was the game’s top scoring 2024/25 player.

He outdid Cristiano Ronaldo, the best for goals (25), non-penalty shots (139) and putting attempts on target (57).

CHRIS SAID…

I’m focusing on seven top teams for my selections, and not being too obsessed with Round 1 fixtures: Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli, Al Qasdiah, Al Ettifaq and Al Shabab. Keep an eye on newly promoted Neom, too.

Last season’s top-scoring goalkeeper, Koen Casteels, is an obvious first choice, as I expect Al Qadsiah’s defence to remain tight given its summer strengthening. In P2 (not U2), Yassine Bono feels a good 5.0m pick, with Milan Borjan a decent budget differential. The latter scored well last season and, after a tough first four fixtures, is undergoing a decent run.

In defence, I’m again suggesting last season’s best in that position: Al Ahli’s Roger Ibañez. Behind him, on 205 points, were Nacho Fernandez and Wesley Hoedt. Able to contribute all over the pitch, Joao Cancelo is a class act, whilst Nawaf Boushal offers an affordable route into Al Nassr’s backline.

Sadio Mane isn’t the cheapest midfield option, but his quality is without question. He provides a better points-per-pound average than teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and I want to go big on an Al Nassr side that is desperate to dominate the league.

RSL Fantasy’s best 2024/25 player was Salem Al Daswari and I’ll definitely own either him or cheaper colleague Sergej Savic. Fellow Al Hilal man Ruben Neves promises points from taking set-pieces and penalties.

Elsewhere, I fancy Al Qadsiah to be impactful, so high-scoring midfielder Julian Quinones gets the nod. I’ve always admired Georginio Wijnaldum and back him to drive Al Ettifaq towards success (yes, even without Steven Gerrard’s help).

Former Real Madrid stars Ronaldo and Karim Benzema truly belong in a ‘class is permanent’ category. Other top-class forwards Ivan Toney and Mateo Retegui are in their prime. Then there’s Al Shabab’s Abderrazzaq Hamdallah, boasting a formidable record and decent starting fixture.

LOUIS SAID…

My goalkeepers all have good home fixtures, so I’d expect them all to keep a clean sheet.

As well as producing six attacking returns last season, Al Ahli’s Roger Ibanez heads into a nice opening fixture fresh from scoring in his previous match. Historically, Theo Hernandez has been a very attacking full-back and that should continue.

Back to Al Ahli, one of their many great attacking options is Riyad Mahrez, who bagged three assists in his previous two matches. An excellent opening Al Fateh fixture makes talisman Mourad Batna a great pick. He takes penalties, as does Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves.

Up front, I’ve picked the formidable Cristiano Ronaldo, while no player missed more big chances last season than Ivan Toney. Of course, a specialist in spurning such opportunities is new name Darwin Nunez, although I still expect him to score goals.

Mateo Retegui had a fantastic season as Serie A’s top scorer and he should take that form to his new club Al Qadsiah.

AMER SAID…

The highest-scoring goalkeeper last season, Koen Casteels, faces newly promoted Al Najma and I also like Yassine Bono going away to Al Riyadh, now that Simone Inzaghi is in charge.

A more differential stopper is Mohammed Al Absi, who is likely to start because Predrag Rajkovic is injured and Hamed Al Shanqiti has been called up to the U21 national team.

Strong offensively and excellent at creating big chances, Theo Hernandez should be very impactful as a 3-5-2 wing-back. As for Francisco Calvo, he’s netted twice in the last two pre-season matches.

Also possessing an attacking threat is Mohammed Al-Shwirekh, scorer of four goals last season.

Reclassified as a midfielder, Julian Quinones produced a superb 20 goals in the 2024/25 campaign, with Georginio Wijnaldum netting 14 times and possessing out-of-position potential.

A name known to all, Joao Felix, is a budget-friendly way into Al Nassr’s attack. Excellent at creating chances, the new signing is already off the mark with a Super Cup semi-final goal.

Moving on to forwards, Ivan Toney takes spot kicks for an elite side, high on morale from Super Cup success. He was the league’s second-highest scorer for goals.

I also like the chances of Mateo Retegui and Abderrazzaq Hamdallah.

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