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Saudi Pro League: Al-Ahli vs. Al-Hilal: When Al-Hilal visits King Abdullah Sports City on Monday to play Al-Ahli, they hope to extend their 12-point advantage atop the Saudi Professional League.
With five games remaining, the Royals are only four points ahead of Al-Taawoun and are now outside of the Champions League qualification spots. They will want to finish the season well.
At the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium last Thursday, Al-Ahli crushed 10-man Damac 4-1, earning three crucial points toward their pursuit of a top-three finish.
The hosts scored four goals in a frantic first twenty-five minutes through Ziyad Aljohani, Firas Al-Buraikan, Riyad Mahrez, and Roberto Firmino until Domagoj Antolic drew one back in the 62nd minute in a match where Farouk Chafai was sent off.
Before then, Al-Hilal had lost four of their previous five games and faced the possibility of having their season derailed. On April 25, they suffered a 2-1 loss at Al-Riyadh.
Since the beginning of November, Matthias Jaissle’s team has won four and drawn three of their eight home games, going undefeated in seven of those contests following their midweek triumph.
Al-Ahli’s impressive home record will be put to the test on Monday when they take on a team they haven’t defeated in their last five meetings—losing three and drawing two since a 2-1 loss in the 2020 rematch in August.
Al-Hilal, on the other hand, put on yet another outstanding display as they easily defeated Al-Taawoun 3-0 at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Friday.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, a former Fulham striker, opened the score in the 49th minute, and Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Al-Shehri added goals in the second half to complete a strong team effort. The match was one-sided and the visitors were no match for the Wolves.
After defeating Al-Ittihad 2-1 on April 30, Al-Hilal has now won their past four games in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and giving up three. This streak has propelled them to the King’s Cup final.
Al-Za’eem, who have won 27 of their 29 games this season and drawn two, are the only team in the Professional League to have lost before this weekend. They are now riding high with 22 straight victories.
Jorge Jesus’s team is presently leading the league table with 83 points from 29 games, nine points ahead of second-place Al-Nassr, with five games remaining.
Al-Ahli Saudi Pro League form:
L D W D L W
Al-Hilal Saudi Pro League form:
W W W W W W
Al-Hilal form (all competitions):
W W L W W W
Ziyad Aljohani, 22, is questionable for Monday’s match after being pulled off injured midway through the match against Damac.
In the event that he is unable to recover from his injury, 27-year-old Ali Al-Asmari is expected to enter the game, partnering with Africa Cup of Nations champion Franck Kessie in the middle of the park.
With his goal against Al-Taawoun, Mitrovic brought his tally of goals in the Saudi Premier League to 23. We anticipate the Serbian forward to lead Al-Hilal’s assault once more.
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Brazilian attacker Michael and Nasser Al-Dawsari should join him in the final third, while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves should once again form the two-man midfield anchor.
We anticipate Mohammed Al-Burayk, Ali Albulayhi, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Abdulhamid starting in the back four positions on defence, with Bono starting in goal once more.
Al-Ahli possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Ibanez, Demiral, Hindi, Al-Amar; Al-Asmari, Kessie; Mahrez, Firimno, Saint-Maximin; Al-Buraikan
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Bono; Al-Burayk, Albulayhi, Koulibaly, Abdulhamid; Neves, Milinkovic-Savic; Al-Dawsari, Michael, Mitrovic
Our prediction for this match 2-0 or 3-1 won by Al-Hilal
