Al Wehda vs Al Hilal

Going into Wednesday's penultimate matchup with second-place Al-Hilal at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium, Al Wahda is virtually guaranteed to stay in the Saudi Pro League.

The Knights of Mecca had only two wins out of 13 at the start of 2025, but they have since won seven out of 19, moving them out of the bottom three before this week's matchup with the division's predicted runners-up.

Al Wahda's chances of surviving 2024 appeared slim as they finished in the bottom three with two victories out of 13.

After kicking off 2025 with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Al Fateh, Al Wahda (the Red Dragons) briefly lifted their fans’ hopes—only to plunge them into despair with seven losses in eight games, leaving supporters braced for relegation after three seasons in the Saudi Pro League.

But a resurgence under manager Daniel Carreno since March has reignited survival hopes. With six wins and a draw from their last 10 matches, Al Wahda clawed their way to 15th place. Despite a recent 3-1 setback against third-placed Al Quadisiya, their position remains two points above the drop zone after rivals Al Orubah fell 2-1 to Al Khaleej.

The stakes are sky-high in Gameweek 33. Al Wahda’s clash with league leaders Al-Hilal comes just a day after Al Orubah faces Al Quadisiya. A win for Al Orubah could push Al Wahda into the relegation zone before they even step onto the pitch, piling pressure on Carreno’s squad to defy history against a dominant opponent.

Al-Hilal have dominated this fixture since December 2020, winning five of the last six meetings (with one draw) and outscoring Al Wahda 18-7 overall. Though their title hopes were dashed by Al Ittihad’s triumph, Al-Hilal showed no signs of slowing down in a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Al Fateh. Substitute striker Aleksandar Mitrovic netted a late brace to overturn deficits of 2-0 and 3-2, proving their hunger remains intact.

Under interim boss Mohammad Al-Shalhoub—who replaced Jorge Jesus in May—Al-Hilal have been unstoppable, scoring eight goals in two away games and securing three straight wins for the first time since January. Their attacking firepower has delivered a 5-3 rout of Al Raed, a 4-0 thrashing of Al Orubah, and the chaotic 4-3 victory over Al Fateh. Now, they aim to extend their six-game unbeaten streak to seal second place, rendering their final-day clash with Al Quadisiya irrelevant.

With Al-Hilal’s traveling fans rallying behind a team that’s won four of their last five away matches, expectations are high to clinch the runner-up spot and cap a turbulent season on a high note.