Leaders Al-Hilal will host relegation favorites Abha in the Saudi Pro League. At the halfway point of the season, Jorge Jesus’s team has an incredible winning streak that puts them well ahead of the competition.
Preview (Al-Hilal vs. Abha)
Al-Hilal reached the halfway point with yet another victory. They moved them ten points ahead of their nearest rivals, Al-Nassr, despite having played one extra game. Jesus’s team leads the scoring statistics with 50 goals thanks to a superb blend of attacking prowess and defensive tenacity. They also have the greatest defensive record, having kept 10 clean sheets in 17 games. Al-Hilal is now enjoying an 18-game winning streak in all competitions after drawing with Damac and Navbahor Namangan. They having dropped just four points all season. That run has not only put them well ahead of the competition but has also advanced them to the AFC Champions League knockout stages and the Kings Cup semifinals.
Naturally, Al-Hilal has a great recent record in this matchup. Following a shocking 3-2 loss in 2021, they have won the previous four encounters and prevailed 3-1 on opening day behind a hat-trick from Malcom. Youssef Manai’s team is really up against it in this match because they have no form at all. They broke a five-game losing streak last week with a draw against Al Hazem, although they are still in the relegation zone as of right now.
Abha seemed destined for another struggle near the bottom after barely avoiding relegation the previous season with five points, especially after conceding a whopping 19 goals in their five-game losing streak. The Pro League’s bottom half is incredibly close, with Abha alone only two points above safety. Seven points separate the entire bottom half.
Team News
Following yet another impressive victory over Al-Wehda last time out, Al-Hilal is probably going to stay mostly unchanged. Yasir Al Shahrani may start after making a late comeback from injury. Mohamed Kanno will have fierce opposition from players like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves. He hopes to force his way back into the starting lineup. In Neymar’s absence, Aleksandar Mitrovic is the team’s top player. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals in the league than Mitrovic’s 15 this year.
The majority of Abha’s starting XI consists of six foreign players, who will undoubtedly be vital if they are to pull off a very unlikely victory. Their best scorer, former Lyon striker Karl Toko Ekambi, has five goals, and he and Francois Kamano, another former Ligue 1 player, should start up front.
Al-Hilal 6-0 Abha
For more football previews, click here
