Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Preview
Saudi Pro League (SPL) leaders Al Hilal will host fifth-placed Al-Ittihad at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Friday, March 1.
The hosts enter this game on the back of an incredible run of form. They have won each of their seven games this calendar year, including friendlies. In that phase, they have netted 17 goals and conceded just seven. Two of those wins came in the SPL, with their last outing being a comfortable 2-0 win away at Al-Ettifaq. They had a seven-point cushion over second-placed Al Nassr and were looking to extend the lead with a win.
The visitors, on the other hand, have a similar record this calendar year. They are unbeaten in the six games they have played in 2024, registering five wins and a draw. Defensively, they have done much better, keeping clean sheets in four of six games and conceding just two overall. Three of these wins came in the SPL, with their last outing being a 2-1 win over Al-Wehda at home. They were just six points off the AFC Champions League spots before kick-off and knew a win would take them closer.
That said, let’s take a look at the team news from both camps.
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Team News
Here are the Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Injury updates and team news:-
Al Hilal
Manager Jorge Jesus will have just one name on the injury list as superstar Neymar remains sidelined. The 32-year-old has been out with a cruciate ligament tear since October 2023 and could miss the remainder of this SPL season.
Elsewhere, Aleksandar Mitrovic has picked up four bookings and could be suspended for one game should he receive another.
Al-Ittihad
Manager Marcelo Gallardo has a much longer injury list to deal with compared to his next opponents. Custodian Abdullah Al-Jadani and defenders Ahmed Sharahili and Ahmed Bamasud are out long-term with cruciate ligament injuries and are likely to miss the remainder of the season. Luiz Felipe is out with a muscle tear.
Centre-back Saad Al-Mousa received a straight red in their last SPL game and will be out for the next one. Faisal Al-Ghamdi and Hassan Kadesh have both picked up four booking so far and could be suspended for a game if they get booked once more.
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Predicted Lineups
Here are Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Lineups:-
Al Hilal
Considering the form they’re in, the XI basically picks itself until something drastically bad happens.
Predicted XI: Bono (GK), Saud Abdulhamid, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ali Albulayhi, Renan Lodi, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves, Salman Al-Faraj (C), Malcom, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Salem Al-Dawsari.
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Al-Ittihad
With limited options on the bench and in the reserves, Gallardo will continue with the same XI from their last outing. One change will be forced as Al-Mousa is suspended for a red card.
Predicted XI: Abdullah Al-Mayouf (GK), Marwan Al Sahafi, Omar Hawsawi, Ahmed Hegazy (C), Zakaria Al Hawsawi, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, Sultan Farhan, Romarinho, Abderrazak Hamdallah, Karim Benzema.
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Head-to-Head Record
Last 5 Games
- Al-Ittihad 3-4 Al Hilal (09/23)
- Al-Ittihad 1-3 Al Hilal (08/23)
- Al Hilal 2-2 Al-Ittihad (05/23)
- Al-Ittihad 0-1 Al Hilal (04/23)
- Al-Ittihad 0-1 Al Hilal (01/23)
As you can see, these two sides face each other very often across competitions. The upcoming game in the SPL will be their second encounter this season, with two more games to come in the AFC Champions League.
Al Hilal have dominated the head-to-head in recent times. They have won four of the last five meetings – all remarkably at Al-Ittihad’s home ground.
The last time Al-Ittihad won in this fixture was way back in April 2021, with seven meetings since.
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Prediction
All of their last three meetings saw both teams score, with more than three goals in the game on all occasions. However, Al Hilal have a home advantage as well as a better run of form, which makes them favourites for this game.
Al Hilal have conceded in five of their last seven games and could concede yet again.
Prediction: Al Hilal 3-1 Al-Ittihad.
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Betting Tips & Odds
Al Hilal have scored at least two goals in each of their last four home games and will continue the strong run of form. Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad have scored seven goals in their last three away games without reply. This points towards a high-scoring match.
Just two of the last seven meetings between these two teams have seen just one team score. Additionally, five out of seven of their last meetings have seen three or more total goals.
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Betting Tips
- Both Teams to Score – Yes: 1.53
- Over 3.0 Goals – Yes: 1.60
- Al Hilal over 2.0 Goals – Yes: 1.61
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Odds
- Al Hilal Win: 1.45
- Draw: 4.80
- Al-Ittihad Win: 5.80
Al Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Timings & Telecast
- Date & Time: Friday, March 1 at 5:00 PM (GMT).
- India: SonyLIV app & website.
- UK: DAZN.
- US: fuboTV.
- Saudi Arabia: Shahid.