Difficult test for Al-Hilal against Al-Ittihad tomorrow
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The eighth-round summit match between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad takes place, with attention on Ronaldo's attendance with Al-Nassr
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
The Saudi Pro League resumes today, Friday, just days after the Saudi national team was crowned Gulf Cup champions. The league leaders, Al-Hilal, face a tough test against second-placed Al-Ittihad, their closest challenger, in the eighth round on Saturday. Meanwhile, attention turns to Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr following his stint with the Portuguese national team.
Al-Hilal leads Al-Ittihad by one point, Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsieh by two points, and fifth-placed Neom by three points, making the title race extremely tight, although the road to the championship remains long. The "Emir" (Al-Hilal) entered the international break having won their opening match in the Elite Stage of the AFC Champions League, defeating Qatar’s Al-Gharafa 2-1. Al-Hilal faces an opponent, Al-Ittihad, which is the only team yet to suffer a defeat since the season began, although they have drawn twice.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in the league in February, after Al-Hilal had won the first leg 2-0 away.
Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad will be without Hassan Kadesh, who was injured while playing for the "Green" (Saudi national team) in the Gulf Cup. The club announced that the player will undergo surgery in Finland.
Away from the round’s marquee clash, focus is on Portuguese star Ronaldo, who did not complete his campaign with his national team in the UEFA Nations League, departing after two of four matches following a disagreement with his former Al-Nassr coach, Jorge Jesus, over his playing time.
His current Al-Nassr coach, Australian Ange Postecoglou, confirmed the historic national team’s top scorer’s readiness at a press conference on the eve of the match against Al-Diriyah at Al-Olaya Park in Riyadh.
Al-Fateh hopes to secure their first victory of the tournament after settling for three points from draws. Al-Qadsieh (16 points) will have a chance to move temporarily into the top spots when they host Al-Kholood at the start of the round, a scenario also sought by Neom (16 points) as they face Al-Hazem at home tomorrow.
