A battle of the heavyweights is set to unfold in the Saudi Pro League this week, when Al-Hilal take on rivals Al-Nassr at King Fahd International Stadium on Friday evening.
Fans are preparing for the first major Riyadh derby of the 2023-24 league season, and the stakes are as high as they could be, with the hosts currently leading the league standings while the visitors are right on their shoulders in second place.
Match preview
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While the PIF-owned sides currently dominate the top four spots in the Pro League this season, these two sides have pulled away from the chasing pack, with Al Ahli seven points behind Al-Hilal in pole position.
The Blue Waves have been immense this season and come into this match boasting a record of 12 wins and just two draws in their 14 league matches this season, which sees them holding a four-point advantage over their opponents.
Jorge Jesus's side returned from the international break with a thumping 9-0 win over Al Hazm last weekend and followed that up with a fourth consecutive AFC Champions League win over Navbahor in midweek.
Salem Al Dawsari and Malcom found the net in the 2-0 win that night, and the latter has now scored four goals in two matches following his hat-trick against Hazem Al Samood over the weekend.
Al-Hilal have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches in all competitions and are unbeaten in their last 21, dating back to August when they lost to this opponent in the Arab Club Champions Cup final in extra time.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was the player responsible for scoring the two goals in that final and took Al-Nassr to their first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup title, despite his side playing a large chunk of the match with nine men.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner also scored a brace in their 3-0 win over Al Akhdoud following the international break, and with that, he set yet another record, registering his 527th league goal, which is more than any player in history.
That result marked Al-Alami's fifth consecutive league win and 10th match unbeaten after losing their first two matches of the campaign to Al Ittifaq and Al Taawon back in the middle of September.
Luis Castro's side have also been formidable on the road of late, currently riding a nine-match winning streak in away games in the top flight while scoring two or more goals in each of those victories, although they have only kept two clean sheets in that time.
While Al-Nassr did manage to emerge victorious in that cup encounter earlier this year, they were beaten by this opponent at this venue last term and will know that another defeat here could prove to be very costly in the title race.
Team News
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Al Hilal's record this season looks even more impressive when taking into consideration that they have played the entire campaign to date without the services of their Brazilian superstar Neymar, who will miss the season with a cruciate ligament tear.
Former Fulham striker Aleksander Mitrovic was given a slight rest in midweek against Navbahor but he should return to the starting 11 here, having scored in each of his last eight starts in all competitions.
For Al-Nassr, the undoubted major concern for this match will be over the fitness of Ronaldo, who was forced off the pitch in their AFC Champions League match due to a neck injury.
Aside from the skipper, David Ospina is the only other player flagged with an injury, which should see Nawaf Alaqidi continue between the sticks for the visitors.
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Koulibaly, Al Burayk, Al Bulayhi, Abdulhamid; Neves, Kanno, Michael; Al Qahtani, Mitrovic, Malcom
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Alaqidi; Al-Boushal, Alawjami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Fofana, Otavio, Talisca, Mane; Ronaldo
We say: Al-Hilal 2-1 Al-Nassr
Both these sides come into this match carrying excellent league form, but the visitors did show a few signs of weakness in midweek, especially after the withdrawal of the league's top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo. The hosts, though, were solid in their AFC Champions League outing, and their unbeaten record this season cannot be ignored.
We are expecting a high-quality encounter here but are siding with Al Hilal to edge the contest by a single goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
