Asian champions Al Ahli slipped to a third defeat of their overseas pre-season camp as they were beaten 2-0 by Portuguese second-division club Portimonense on Tuesday.
The Saudi Pro League side, preparing for the 2026-27 campaign, were outscored in Portugal in what is their latest friendly setback ahead of the new season.
This loss follows a 4-1 reverse against German side Holstein Kiel in Austria and a 3-1 defeat to Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal, underlining a difficult run of results for Matthias Jaissle’s team.
Al Ahli, nicknamed “Al Raqi”, have managed just one win from their pre-season fixtures so far, an 8-0 victory over Austrian side Saalfelden in their opening friendly in Austria.
They also drew 2-2 with Portuguese club Rio Ave during the same training camp, leaving their overall record at one win, one draw and three defeats in five warm-up matches.
Limited use of foreign players
Head coach Matthias Jaissle began the match against Portimonense with only one foreign player in his starting line-up, Brazilian winger Galeno.
Galeno was substituted in the second half and no other overseas players were introduced, meaning Al Ahli ended the game with an entirely domestic XI.
The German manager appears to be managing the workload of his foreign contingent carefully, with a view to involving them more heavily in the final stages of the training camp.
Fulham test to close Portugal camp
Al Ahli are scheduled to play another friendly later on Tuesday against Premier League club Fulham, which will be their last match before wrapping up their Portugal camp and returning to Jeddah.
The remaining foreign players are expected to feature in that game as Jaissle looks to fine-tune his squad before the start of the 2026-27 season.
Despite their status as champions of Asia, Al Ahli’s results on this European tour have raised questions about their form heading into the new campaign, though pre-season performances are often treated with caution by coaching staff.
The club will hope that the meeting with Fulham provides a more encouraging indication of their readiness, both tactically and physically, before they travel back to Saudi Arabia to complete their preparations at home.
