Al Okhdood will welcome the defending champions Al Hilal to the Prince Hathloul Sports City Stadium for a one-on-one clash in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday at 18:00 GMT as the new season kicks off in earnest.
Key Highlights
Al Okhdood
Last time out, Al Okhdood played a friendly match against Khalidita, in which they were on the losing end of a 1-0 result.
Al Okhdood showed in this match significant challenges in their attacking third. Their attackers could not click quickly enough, move the ball dynamically, or play at the required intensity to create chances in the final third.
These challenges were apparent last season where Al Okhdood finished just outside the relegation zone with 33 points, after collecting nine wins, six draws, and 19 losses. They scored 33 goals while conceding 52 times in the course of the season.
Al Okhdood will look to address some of these challenges ahead of their home clash against the champions on Saturday.
Al Hilal
In their pre-season campaign, Al Hilal have shown significant form, beating Al Arabi (2-0), Serie A’s Como (0-1), Serie A’s Udinese (1-0), and losing to Mamelodi Sundowns (2-1). This run of form has got Jorge Jesus’ men in a good space ahead of their trip to face Al Okhdood on Saturday.
Last time out, Al Hilal lifted the Saudi Super Cup after beating last year’s runners-up Al Nassr 1-4 in the final. The win was a statement to the rest of the league and a statement of intent ahead of the kickoff of the Saudi Pro League.
Al Hilal had to come from behind against Al Nassr to win the Saudi Super Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo gave Al Nassr the lead in the 44th minute with a fine strike. In the second half, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalized for Jorge Jesus’s men, with Aleksandar Mitrovic taking center stage with a brace in the 63rd and 69th minutes. Malcolm wrapped up the match with a strike in the 72nd minute.
The focus for Al Hilal will be to retain their form, especially their devastating potency in the final third, and carry it into the new Saudi Pro League season.
Injury Report
Neither side has announced any significant new injury worries ahead of the new season. Both sides will call upon the full strength of their squads ahead of their meeting on Saturday.
Team News
Al Okhdood will look to play pragmatically in the clash against free-scoring Al Hilal. The focus will be to adopt a shape that is robust, narrow, and low when defending to make it difficult for the visitors to play through the middle and create chances.
Neymar continues his recovery for Al Hilal; however, the Brazilian is unlikely to be available for selection in the opening match of the season against Al Okhdood. Jorge Jesus will call on his go-to attackers last season, Al-Dawsari, Malcolm, Michael, and Alexandar Mitrovic, for the opening weekend at Al Okhdood.
Prediction
Al Okhdood are the clear underdogs in this match coming up against the potent and devastating Al Hilal looking to get their title defense off to a flier.
Al Hilal will win the match and get the three points in this opener.
