Al Hilal will welcome Damac to the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Wednesday for a one-on-one clash in the Saudi Pro League matchday two, with kickoff slated for 18:00 GMT.
Key Highlights
Al Hilal
The Saudi Pro League champions kicked off the defense of their crown with a dominant 0-3 win at Al Okhdood last Saturday.
Al Hilal made a fast start to the match, taking the lead in the 4th minute through an Aleksandar Mitrovic strike. The Serbian sealed his brace in the 39th minute as he doubled Jorge Jesus’ side’s lead.
Sergej Milinković-Savićtripled Al Hilal’s lead at the stroke of halftime, notching a goal in the 46th minute.
Jorge Jesus was pleased with his side’s dominant performance. They dominated the ball with 68% possession, had 12 shots overall, and had six shots on target. Al Hilal conceded just five shots and zero shots on target.
These numbers highlight the dominance by Al Hilal, and underscores their status as the odds-on favorites for the title this season, and the football pick to win the clash against Damac on Wednesday.
Damac
Damac started their Saudi Pro League season poorly, losing at home to Al Khaleej last Friday.
An own goal by Dhari Al Anazi in the 16th minute gave Al Khaleej the lead against the run of play as Damac made a promising start to the match.
However, Damac lacked the dynamism in attack, the speed of passing, and the link-up play to stretch and open up the Al Khaleej defense. These limitations meant that Al Khaleej had the ball in front of them all the time, which made it easy to defend.
Damac will have to improve their performance, especially their defensive solidity, when they face the rampant attack of Al Hilal on Wednesday.
Injury Report
Neither side has reported new injury worries ahead of Wednesday’s clash. Both managers will have access to the full complement of their squads ahead of kickoff.
Team News
Jorge Jesus will retain his best attack with Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the line, and Neves and Milinković-Savić manning the midfield. The side will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation designed to be attacking and dynamic in their play.
Damac are likely to retain their 4-2-3-1 formation, with Munshi and Hamed in the middle of the pack and Al Ghamdi, Stanciu, and Nkoudou playing behind the striker, Solan. This formation will be primarily pragmatic in an approach to stifle the Al Hilal attack.
Prediction
Al Hilal are the odds-on favorites to win the match and take the three points; they will make it back-to-back wins to start the season.
