Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad: The 'Saturday Summit'

The Saudi league resumes with a fiery climax, days after the national team’s coronation as Gulf Cup champions. League leaders Al-Hilal face a tough test against second-placed Al-Ittihad, their closest pursuer, in the eighth round tomorrow. Meanwhile, attention turns to Cristiano Ronaldo, as Al-Nassr hosts Al-Diriyah today following the Portuguese star’s dispute with his national team.

Also playing today are Al-Khaleej against Al-Qadsiah, and Al-Fateh against Al-Ahli. Tomorrow, Al-Hazem will face Neom, and Al-Ittihad will take on Al-Ghaf.

Al-Hilal leads with 18 points, one ahead of Al-Ittihad, two ahead of Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah, and three ahead of fifth-placed Neom. Thus, the title race is heating up, although the road to the championship remains long. Al-Hilal faces an opponent that is the only team yet to suffer a defeat since the season began, albeit with two draws.

The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in February in the league, after Al-Hilal had won 2-0 in the away leg.

Away from the round’s marquee clash, the spotlight is on Portuguese forward Ronaldo, who did not complete his campaign with his national team in the UEFA Nations League, departing after two of four matches due to a disagreement with his former Al-Nassr coach, Jorge Jesus, over his playing time.

Al-Nassr entered the international break after a heavy 4-0 defeat to hosts Al-Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite, and a league draw with Al-Ghaf. The two sides have never met in the league, as Al-Diriyah was promoted to the top flight this season, but Al-Nassr beat them 4-1 in a cup match last August.

Al-Fateh hopes to secure their first victory of the season after settling for draws that yielded just three points. Meanwhile, local media suggest that today’s match against Al-Ahli could be the last for coach Khaled Al-Atwi due to poor results. The name of former Jordan coach Jamal Al-Salami has been linked with taking charge of the team in the coming stages.