The Saudi Arabian Football Federation announced that the international referee Nikola Dabanović will officiate the match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli in the 25th round of the Roshn League.

The match is scheduled to take place on Friday evening, in an anticipated showdown awaited by Saudi football fans, due to its importance in the race for top positions.

Press reports indicated that the referee from Montenegro was chosen to lead the match due to his experience in managing several games in the competition.

Dabanović has previously officiated seven matches in the Saudi League in past seasons, which gives him a good understanding of the tournament's atmosphere and the nature of the competition between clubs.

The European referee has a long officiating record exceeding 400 matches, during which he issued 1,227 yellow cards in addition to 14 direct red cards.

Al-Ahly enters the match in second place on the standings with 59 points, just one point behind the leading team, Al-Nassr.

On the other hand, Al-Ittihad occupies the fifth position in the Saudi Professional League standings with 42 points and is striving to narrow the gap with the leading teams.