Al Ittihad will host Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday. The defending Saudi Pro League champions lost 2-0 to Al-Hilal in the first leg. It ended their four-game winning streak in this league.
Preview (Al Ittihad vs. Al-Hilal)
Last week, Nadi Al-Sha’ab’s chances of making it to the AFC Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2012 were severely damaged. To stand a chance of extending their Champions League run, Marcelo Gallardo’s team must win by a minimum of two goals; they have only achieved this once at home in 2024 (a 2-0 victory over Al-Riyadh in February). They finished 2023 with a two-match home losing streak. Al-Hilal has a 100% record at home in all competitions thus far this year. They scored two goals in each of those four victories. The Jeddah team has never won a Champions League knockout match when behind after the first leg.
Ever since Al-Ain defeated them twice in the quarterfinals of the 2014 edition, Al Ittihad has not lost back-to-back Champions League knockout matches. They may not have much chance of moving on, but their record against Al-Hilal indicates that there may be some hope because Nadi Al-Watan has never lost to them at home in this competition, winning 3-1 in the 2011 round of 16. After more than two months of play in 2024, Al-Hilal has a perfect record. They aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. In the Saudi Pro League this season, Jorge Jesus’s team has won 21 of 23 games. They amassed a 12-point advantage at the top of the standings. They have also won 29 straight games overall.
This season, the Riyadh-based team has also gone undefeated away from home in the Champions League. They defeated their opponents by a cumulative score of 10-1. If Al-Zaeem is to be lightly criticized in this competition, it could be because they have occasionally been slow to start, giving up the first goal three times, including twice in the elimination round.
Team News
Al Ittihad’s N’Golo Kante was sent off with a straight red card in the second half of last Tuesday’s game. He will miss this pivotal encounter. Meanwhile, reports of Karim Benzema, another Frenchman, appearing in a photo with multiple objects on his back. It is a practice known as “hijama” therapy—that has raised questions about possible chronic pain. Due to cruciate ligament rupture, Ahmed Bamsaud, Ahmed Sharahili, and Abdullah Al-Jadaani are all anticipated to be out of this match. They overcame Al Akhdoud 2-1 on Friday in Saudi Pro League action.
Kalidou Koulibaly made his debut in the knockout phase. He joined Saud Abdulhamid, Ali Al-Bulaihi, and Yasser Al-Shahrani in a back four. Last Tuesday, Hassan Al-Tambakti was on the bench for the first time during the tournament’s knockout round. Mohammed Al-Qahtani made his Champions League debut for the first time since matchday five. Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is equal with Cristian for the most goals scored in this competition with eight, has scored in three straight Champions League games. He and Salem Al-Dawsari scored late in the first half of this first leg, and Mohammed Al-Owais kept a clean sheet in place of Bono.
Al Ittihad 0-2 Al-Hilal
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