LONDON: Al-Ettifaq center back Jack Hendry knows a fair bit about cross-city rivalries. He played for Dundee against Dundee United, for Club Brugge against Cercle Brugge and, most notably, for Celtic against Rangers in the Old Firm Derby.

On Saturday, Hendry will face a new foe when he lines up in Al-Ettifaq’s defense against high-flying Al-Qadsiah. For the past few years, Al-Ettifaq has been Dammam’s leading club, but this season it has been undeniably usurped by rivals Al-Qadsiah.

Michel’s newly promoted side has enjoyed a stellar season on its return to the Kingdom’s top flight, currently lying third in the Saudi Pro League table and making it to the final of the King’s Cup.

“Hats off to Qadsiah, they’ve had a very good season,” Hendry told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “They’ve had good recruitment, bringing in players that have worked well for them.

“We really want to match that and will continue to work hard to be the main team in Dammam. I think we’re very much capable of doing that. It’s been a disappointing season but we are extremely motivated to be the No. 1 team in the city for our fans, because we know how much it means to them.”

He added: “This is something I am really hungry for. I moved to Al-Ettifaq to accomplish something in football; we don’t want to be finishing mid-table, we want to be winning the King’s Cup, qualifying for Asian competition and challenging at the top of the league.”

Hendry’s winning mentality is ingrained after spells at Celtic in his native Scotland and Club Brugge in Belgium — both clubs expected to consistently challenge for every domestic trophy.

It was this hunger that initially convinced him to move to Al-Ettifaq in summer 2023, excited by the possibility of working under Steven Gerrard. The coach’s own glittering playing career yielded myriad trophies at Liverpool before he also won the Scottish Premiership as Rangers boss in 2021.  

“I had lots of opportunities to go to different places across Europe, but Steven really sold the project to me,” Hendry said. “It was an opportunity I thought I couldn’t let go.

“I picked up a lot from Steven and it was a great honor to play for him as he was one of my idols growing up. The winning mentality is something he obviously had as a player and he definitely brought that to his coaching too.”

In January, after 18 months at the helm, Gerrard left Al-Ettifaq and former Saudi Arabia U-23s’ coach Saad Al-Shehri returned for his second stint.

Hendry admits he was sad to see Gerrard go but praised his teammates for their professionalism in quickly adapting to their new coach’s approach — the team are now seventh in the Pro League table with victories including an impressive 3-2 away to Al-Nassr in February.

“To lose a figure, a role model like Steven with all his experience in the game is always disappointing,” Hendry said. “But in football, you get setbacks and things you don’t expect — you have to learn from it rather than dwell on it.

“We’ve now got a new manager who is extremely positive and highly ambitious for the football club. It matches my ambitions as well so I’m delighted he has those high standards and I’m really looking forward to the future.”

Al-Shehri’s arrival has coincided with Hendry’s return to the Al-Ettifaq starting lineup. The Saudi coach clearly sees the 29-year-old as a key figure both on the pitch and in the dressing-room, but it comes after a difficult first half of the season for Hendry.

After playing every minute of every game in the 2023-24 campaign, Hendry found himself initially omitted from the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League squad after suffering an injury. His return came quicker than anticipated, meaning he faced a painful wait for the end of the winter break to return to action.

“I was really happy with how I played last season and I really put my body on the line for the team,” Hendry says. “I played in a couple of games when I had a broken nose and a fractured cheek as well. This is the sort of player I am — I want to put in everything for the team.

“That’s why the first half of this season was so tough. It was a difficult situation but I worked extremely hard to … be fit as soon as possible because I knew the impact I could have on the side. Unfortunately, that then meant I needed to spend longer watching the team as I couldn’t play.

“I want the club to be as successful as possible and feel that when I am on the pitch we have a better chance of keeping the goals out. Thankfully now I’m back in the team and hopefully those circumstances won’t happen again.”

While Hendry has helped bring some solidity back to the Al-Ettifaq defense, the team has been struggling at the other end of the pitch. Al-Shehri’s side goes into the Dammam derby without star striker Moussa Dembele, who in February was ruled out until the end of the year after rupturing his Achilles.

“He is a very talented footballer, a very powerful striker,” Hendry says of Dembele, who was also his teammate at Celtic. “Moussa is going to be a big miss — no team wants to lose their No. 9. But we need to react to that in a positive way, do our best for him and hope he has a good recovery.”

Al-Ettifaq’s attackers will have their work cut out on Saturday against an Al- Qadsiah side that has the Saudi Pro League’s meanest defense this season — they have conceded just 21 goals in 25 games.

Hendry is nonetheless relishing the opportunity to play in his first Dammam derby. While he admits the rivalry might not have the ferocity of the Old Firm or Bruges games, he hopes Al-Ettifaq vs Al-Qadsiah might develop into something just as special.

“Obviously the fans of Celtic and Rangers absolutely live and breathe the Old Firm Derby in Scotland,” Hendry explains. “It means a lot and that creates an unbelievable atmosphere — it would be impossible to experience that kind of a game anywhere else.

“The passion in Scotland and in Belgium were amazing but we are talking about generations upon generations of fans. There is the potential with what’s going on right now in Saudi Arabia that it can reach that level.

“We already have many very loyal supporters at Ettifaq. I know it would mean the world to them to beat Qadsiah and we need to go out there and make them proud of the football club — that’s what we’ll try to do.”

DUBAI: With the playoff season fast approaching, Dubai Basketball continue to impress in their debut ABA League season with back-to-back wins, continuously establishing themselves as title contenders.

Their latest success came on Saturday night as the home side cruised past FMP Soccerbet with a resounding 84-61 victory, strengthening their position in the ABA League top three.

Dubai now have their their sights on silverware as they edge closer to the playoffs in May. Reigning champions Crvena Zvezda’s (Red Star) shock loss in Round 25 of the regular season has propelled Dubai Basketball to an unprecedented debut season standing with just five games left until playoffs.

An electrifying start set the tone for a dominant night when Ahmet Duverioglu opened the scoring with back-to-back two-pointers before Davis Bertans quickly followed up with consecutive three-pointers, giving Dubai a well-deserved early lead. Their relentless defensive pressure and physicality countered FMP’s attacking efforts, limiting the otherwise strong side that had won against Dubai on Serbian soil. By the end of the first quarter, Dubai had already established a commanding 10-point advantage.

Dubai Basketball coach Jurica Golemac commented on the big win: “I need to give the credit to the players. You know, these are not easy games to play. We were serious. We were very focused, disciplined.

“We got a great group of players with great character who are very experienced. They know that we need to do the job before the playoffs. We want to get the best position that we can get before the playoff. So, they’re all focusing, locked in.”

FMP attempted to respond at the start of the second quarter, with Filip Barna leading the Serbian side’s lineup, scoring 17 points. However, Dubai’s intensity never wavered. By halftime, the lead had stretched to nearly 20 points thanks to Dubai’s unshakeable guard Nate Mason’s impressive 18-point contribution.

With three minutes remaining, Dubai retained a comfortable 20-point lead, essentially sealing the win. However, the night’s most electrifying moment came when Filipino star player Thirdy Ravena stunned with a three-point jump shot with just two minutes left on the clock, sparking an eruption from the 2,800-strong crowd at Coca-Cola Arena.

Dubai Basketball now turn their attention to next weekend as they push to stay at the top of the ABA League standings, with a league title within reach. The team takes on Croatian team Zadar on April 6 at Coca-Cola Arena for what is sure to be another unmissable home game.