Damac vs Al Hilal

On Saturday Al-Hilal as table leaders plan to face Damac at Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium to defend their Saudi Pro League leadership position.

The Blue Waves lead the points table alongside second-place Al Ittihad by having identical 46 points yet their substantial goal difference edge gives them the first position.

Al-Hilal strives to protect their position at the top after their January 27 loss to Al Quadisiya which ended their five-match winning sequence as the current Saudi Pro League champions.

The team secured a 4-0 win over Al Okhdood after their defeat as Marcos Leonardo scored twice in the match.

The AFC Champions League witnessed Jorge Jesus's team maintain their pristine position in the league phase through their 4-1 victory against Persepolis from Iran after seven matchdays had passed.

Al-Hilal plans to accumulate successive victories which will create distance against Al Ittihad for the domestic title but they recognize these matches will start versus Al Ittihad after conceding their league defeats in away matches.

During 2021 and after the away defeat to Damac the Blue Waves netted two victories and one draw from three subsequent matches at that stadium.

Damac has displayed unstable performance recently as they recorded two victories and two losses together with a draw during their recent five matches.

The team of Nuno Almeida began the year with a successful 2-0 win against Al Raed in away matches but suffered consecutive road losses to Al Ettifaq (3-0) and Al Fateh (2-1).

The Knight of the South made a spectacular comeback last weekend at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, defeating championship contenders Al Ittihad 2-1 at home before drawing 1-1 with Al Khaleej.

Georges-Kevin Nkoudou gave Damac the lead in the 25th minute, but Thomas Murg equalized roughly 20 minutes later. With 22 points, Damac was comfortably in the middle of the table in 10th place.

The Knight of the South will be eager to repeat the feat against the current league leaders and defending champions on Saturday after undermining Al Ittihad's title ambitions.

History, however, is in Al-Hilal's side because Damac has only won once in 11 matches and lost seven times, while the hosts have lost five of their past seven meetings with the Blue Waves and drawn just twice.

With left-back Sanousi Al Hawsawi and goalkeeper Abdulbasit Hawsawi joining the sidelines, Damac is facing new injury issues.

Due to injuries to both left-backs, Al-Hilal manager Jorge Jesus recently moved to a back-three scheme; however, he may change the formation for this game.

Leonardo will probably continue to lead the attack in this match since Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored 12 goals in the league, is doubtful.