Al-Ittihad vs Al-Hilal

Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium hosts a massive, heavyweight showdown between Saudi Pro League title contenders Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal.

Al-Ittihad’s start to their Saudi Pro League title defense has been nothing short of astounding, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flyers winning all four league games by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ averaging an intimidating three goals per match. Despite drawing a first-half blank at Al Wehda last time out, Al-Ittihad netted three unanswered second-half goals en route to an emphatic triumph without talismanic striker Karim Benzema. The ex-Real Madrid goal-getter will miss out on this blockbuster clash as his teammates bid to halt a four-game winless H2H league streak against Al-Hilal (D1, L3) in his absence. That could prove easier said than done, considering they’ve lost their last two top-flight H2Hs at home via an aggregate score of 4-1, conceding before halftime on both occasions.

While this fixture will come too soon for Al-Hilal’s box-office signing Neymar, the visitors will turn to Aleksandar Mitrovic and Malcom to spearhead the attack. Hellbent on recovering domestic supremacy after surrending the title to Al-Ittihad last term, Jorge Jesus’ men have won all but one of their four opening Saudi Pro League outings (D1), including a clear-cut 2-0 home triumph over Al-Ettifaq last weekend. Delivering action from the onset, the visitors have got on the scoresheet before the interval in all four league matches this season, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start. ‘Al-Za’eem’ can draw further confidence from replacing a two-game league start without a clean sheet with back-to-back shutouts. That’s particularly significant when considering they’ve capitulated on three of their last four Saudi Pro League visits to the Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium.