Al-Hilal will look to extend their lead at the top of the table when they host Al Ittihad. With 59 points after 21 games, the hosts lead the league by seven points, while the visitors are in fifth place with 37 points within the same time frame.
Preview (Al-Hilal vs. Al Ittihad)
Al-Hilal’s primary focus in this game will surely be grabbing the three points, but they also want to have a psychological edge over their rivals before playing them in the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinal four days later. With two straight victories in their opening games—a 3-1 victory over Al Raed and a 2-1 victory over Al Ettifaq on the road last week—the Blue Waves will be firing on all cylinders going into this match. Following those outcomes, Jorge Jesus’s team has now won 24 straight games in all competitions. They last lost a game in mid-September when they were beaten to a 1-1 draw away to Damak.
Except for a stalemate with Al Fayha during the first week of the season, Al-Za’eem has been unstoppable. They are presently enjoying a 10-match league winning streak. They scored 31 goals while giving up only three goals. When these teams last faced off, Al-Hilal prevailed in a thrilling seven-goal match that finished 4-3. As a result, they have now gone five games without losing to this opponent, dating back to April 2021.
Al Ittihad, on the other hand, has suffered a severe decline this season. They will enter game 22 already 15 points behind the AFC Champions League qualifying spots. Last season, Al Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League by five points. The People’s Club had a strong start to the season with six wins in their first seven games. However, they lost three of their next five games and drew two, which resulted in Nuno Espirito Santo’s dismissal at the beginning of November.
Team News
Since mid-October, Al-Hilal has been without their star acquisition, Neymar. The Brazilian is projected to miss the remainder of the season with a cruciate ligament tear. In his debut season in the Saudi Pro League, former Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has made a big impact. With 19 goals so far this season, he is only three goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr. Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari, have scored nine and ten goals this season, respectively. They have provided strong support for Mitrovic and should continue to play with the Serbians in the three-man attack.
Centre defender Saad Al-Mousa, who was sent off in the team’s 2-1 victory over Al Wehda last week, will begin the first of a three-match suspension today, thus Al Ittihad will be without him. Mosa will be on the sidelines with several colleagues, who have all been out since last year due to injuries: Ahmed Bamasud, Luiz Felipe, Ahmed Sharahili, and Abdullah Al-Jadani. Al Ittihad’s two defenders, Muhammadnad Shanqeeti and Omar Hawsawi, have both returned to training and could be available for selection on Friday after missing the team’s last eight games due to injuries.
Al-Hilal 3-1 Al Ittihad
For more football previews, click here
