A blockbuster clash in the Saudi League this weekend will see the top two, holders Al-Hilal and league leaders Al-Ittihad meet at Riyadh for an early title decider.
HLL vs ITT (Al-Hilal vs Al-Ittihad ) Match Details
Date: Friday, 21 September 2024
Time: 21:00 (CET), 23:30 (IST)
Venue: Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
HLL vs ITT (Al-Hilal vs Al-Ittihad) Match Preview
Al-Hilal clinched a record-extending 19th Saudi League title by staying invincible for the entire season last time. Jorge Jesus’s team has carried the momentum with three straight wins to begin the new campaign and opened the new AFC Champions Elite competition on a winning note too by defeating Qatari outfit Al-Rayyan 3-1. Despite Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty getting saved, goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, new signing Joao Cancelo and Marcos Leonardo did the business for the side. However, the Blue Waves will face the first notable challenge in the league in the form of Al-Ittihad rejuvenated by a series of European star signings in the window. If Al-Hilal wants to keep their dominance in the league, they know a win in this fixture will set an early precedent. The Riyadh-based side has an edge in this battle, winning half of the 62 meetings so far and not facing any defeat at home in any competition since 2016. Such a record will be motivating for the side looking to maintain their huge 38-game unbeaten streak in the league.
In contrast, Al-Ittihad experienced a poor title defence last season finishing a low fifth and picking just one win in the final seven games. The People's Club also failed to get into the continental competition adding to their disappointment. This has prompted the team to go for a major reshuffle this summer transfer window bringing in a lot of well-known names from the top five leagues of Europe. Steven Bergwijn, Moussa Diaby, Danilo Pereira and Houssem Aouar are the prominent names that have hit the ground running leading Al-Ittihad to win the first three games of the season and lead the table on goal-difference. The team also brought French football legend Laurent Blanc to the hot seat with his experience of winning league titles with Bordeaux and PSG. With a strong start, including a 7-1 thrashing of Al-Wehda in the last game, the visitors will want to bring fireworks to Riyadh on Friday.
Recent Form (Saudi League)
HLL: WWWW
ITT: WLWWW
HLL vs ITT (Al-Hilal vs Al-Ittihad) Predicted Lineups
Al-Hilal
Bono; Cancelo, Koulibaly, Albulayhi, Lodi; Milinkovic-Savic, Neves; Malcolm, Leonardo, Al Dawsari; Mitrovic
Al-Ittihad
Rajkovic; Al Yami, Al Mousa, Pereira, Shanqeeti; Kante, Fabinho; Diaby, Aouar, Bergwijn; Benzema
Al-Hilal vs Al-Ittihad head-to-head
Played - 62
HLL - 31
Drawn - 19
ITT - 12
HLL vs ITT Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Aleksandar Mitrovic
Vice-captain Picks: Karim Benzema, Houssem Aouar
Others: Al Dawsari, Malcom, Milinkovic-Savic, Moussa Diaby
Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored six goals with a brace in each of the first three games of the season.
Karim Benzema has bagged four goals in the same period including a hat-trick in the previous match. Moussa Diaby produced four assists in the same game.
Houssem Aouar has scored a goal in each of his Saudi league matches.
HLL vs ITT Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Rajkovic (Cr - 7.5, Pts - 97)
DEF: Cancelo (Cr - 8.5), Al-Bulayi (Cr - 8, Pts - 119), Shanqeeti (Cr - 7, Pts - 115)
MID: Al Dawsari (Cr - 9, Pts - 189), Milinkovic-Savic (Cr - 9, Pts -155), Aouar (Pts - 8.5, 225), Diaby (Cr - 8, Pts - 197)
FW: Malcom (Cr - 8.5), Benzema (Cr - 9), Mitrovic (Cr - 9)
Vice-captain: Karim Benzema
Captain: Aleksandar Mitrovic
Al-Hilal vs Al-Ittihad Match Prediction
Both Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad have made a remarkable start to the Saudi League season so we expect an intense affair. The sides will be comfortable with a draw in this early stage but goals will be scored in plenty. We predict a 2-2 outcome.
