Roberto Firmino could be making his return for Al-Ahli this week against Al-Akhdoud after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The 31-year-old had a sensational start to his Al-Ahli career having scored a hat-trick on his debut against newly-promoted Al-Hazm two weeks ago.
Just days later, the Brazilian sustained a hamstring injury during training and missed out on his side’s away victory over Al-Khaleej in the second round of the league.
Saudi forward Fahad Al-Rashidi started in place of Firmino and combined with Riyad Mahrez to inspire a convincing 3-1 win and maintain his side’s perfect record after two games.
After spending just over a week on the sidelines, Firmino is reportedly set to rejoin team training ahead of their upcoming encounter with Al-Akhdoud on Thursday evening.
According to a report by Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah, Al-Ahli’s medical staff have given Firmino the green light to return to team training.
Head coach Matthias Jaissle is also said to have urged the club’s medical department to accelerate the recovery process of a number of other injured players.
The report also added that Firmino is expected to retain his place in the starting lineup at the Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.
It’s worth noting that Al-Ahli are still active in the summer transfer window despite signing Edouard Mendy, Allan Saint-Maximin, Franck Kessié, Merih Demiral, and Riyad Mahrez for over £120 million.
The Royal Club has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Veratti, Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski, and most recently, Atletico Madrid’s Rodrigo De Paul.