Atletico Madrid will travel to Saudi Arabia for a friendly during the Spanish winter break, last season’s UEFA Champions League runners-up announced on Friday.
Atletico said in a statement they will play Al-Ittihad in the city of Jeddah on December 30 in a match to mark the Saudi club’s 90th anniversary.
There will be a three-week break in La Liga over Christmas and New Year, although Diego Simeone’s men could be involved in Copa del Rey action as early as January 3.
Here, we look at five friendlies between European and Gulf teams in recent times.
AL-HILAL 1-4 BAYERN MUNICH – JANUARY 2015 (SAUDI ARABIA)
Robert Lewandowski, Dante, Claudio Pizarro and Bastian Schweinsteiger scored for the Bundesliga giants as they ran out comfortable 4-1 winners.
The European powerhouse faced criticism on their return to Germany for playing the side from Riyadh and valuing monetary gain ahead of ethics.
UAE 1-0 LAS PALMAS – JULY 2016 (SPAIN)
Al Jazira hotshot Ali Mabkhout scored the only goal as the UAE beat La Liga side Las Palmas 1-0 in a pre-season friendly in Spain.
Mabkhout netted the only goal in the 27th minute, getting on the end of a beautifully lofted pass from Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrahman to fire a crisp finish past Las Palmas stopper Raul Lizoain.
AL AIN 0-3 MANCHESTER CITY – MAY, 2014 (UAE)
Second-half strikes ensured an easy victory for then Premier League champions Manchester City over Arabian Gulf League outfit Al Ain in a post-season friendly in Abu Dhabi.
Marcos Lopes made the breakthrough before Stevan Jovetic doubled the visitors’ lead. A late spot-kick saw Jordi Hiwula add a third in a 3-0 result.
UAE 0-0 LEVANTE – AUGUST, 2016 (SPAIN)
Omar Abdulrahman partnered Ahmed Khalil in San Pedro where Mahdi Ali’s side played out a goalless stalemate against Levante ahead of their World Cup Qualification games against Japan and Australia.
AL SHABAB 0-0 LAZIO – AUGUST, 2016 (GERMANY)
Lazio side featuring many of their big names play out a 0-0 stalemate with Al Shabab.
A side containing elite players such as Senegal forward Keita Balde Diao, Italy centre midfielder Marco Parolo and Argentina defensive midfielder Lucas Biglia was unable to break down the Arabian Gulf League-outfit during a friendly meeting in Marienfeld, Germany.
Le 📸📸📸 dell'amichevole contro l'Al Shabab, qui ➡️ https://t.co/ZFpQcYQSpm pic.twitter.com/2hbWKRIW0J
— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) August 7, 2016
