The wheel of Saudi football returns to rotation after the end of the Gulf Cup competitions, with the quarter-finals of the King’s Cup competition being held, which witnesses an expected summit on Tuesday (21:30 pm) between Al-Ittihad, the league leader, and its runner-up, Al-Hilal.
The local league, led by Al-Ittihad, two points behind Al-Hilal, the defending champion, stopped after 13 stages, with the start of the Gulf Cup in Kuwait. The Saudi national team, with its returning French coach Herve Renard, reached the semi-finals with its starting lineup, where it lost to Oman 1-2.
At the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Al Hilal duels with its guest, Al Ittihad, after dominating them in the last eight confrontations.
Al-Ittihad’s last victory over Al-Hilal dates back to April 9, 2021 in the league (2-0). After that, they faced each other 13 times in various competitions, with Al Hilal winning 12 times and one draw.
Al Hilal emerged victorious in the last confrontation in the league 3-1 in September, after eliminating “Al-Ameed” from the cup semi-finals 2-1 in April.
Under the supervision of French coach Laurent Blanc, Al-Ittihad is experiencing a remarkable season, as it is at the top of the league and is experiencing stability due to consistency of performance. Blanc, world champion in 1998 and European champion in 2000 with France, received sad news of the passing of his mother, Yvonne, at the age of 93.
The Jeddah team is hoping for the readiness of its two French stars, veteran striker Karim Benzema and former English Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby, as the local Al-Riyadiya newspaper reported that they missed group exercises on Sunday because they suffered from two injuries without specifying their type.
Mystery also surrounds the fate of international striker Saleh Al-Shehri, as he continues his rehabilitation program after sustaining a thigh injury in the Gulf Cup.
Al-Ittihad qualified for the quarter-finals after defeating Al-Jandal in the final 16 with a score of 2-0, while Al-Hilal easily surpassed Al-Taei 4-1.
Al-Ittihad is missing its defender, Abdul-Ilah Al-Omari, due to a connective muscle injury that kept him out of the Saudi camp before Gulf 26.
– Al-Hilal to continue its series – On the other hand, Al-Hilal aspires to achieve its fourth consecutive victory in all competitions, after its friendly match against Al-Nasr of Oman in late December, in which it won 4-1.
Al-Zaeem will miss its full-back Yasser Al-Shahrani after suffering an injury during Gulf 26. Brazilian star Neymar continues to be absent from the team’s roster, while the Blue Team is counting on its compatriot, winger Malcolm.
While the participation of Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves and Serbian top scorer Alexander Mitrovic was confirmed in the squad of Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, press reports indicated that Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (10 goals and 4 assists in 23 matches this season) was close to participating, after his absence from training. Friday and stay at the medical clinic.
Also on Tuesday, Al-Qadisiyah, third in the league and enjoying six consecutive victories, will play against its host, Al-Taawoun, the ninth, after the match was moved to Al-Raed Stadium upon Al-Taawoun’s request.
The two teams will meet again in the league four days after the cup match.
Al-Taawoun overthrew Al-Nasr in the last 16 away from home 1-0, which raised the team’s aspirations, while Al-Qadisiyah eliminated its counterpart Al-Wahda 2-1.
Al-Qadisiyah finalized the transfer of the attacking midfielder, Brazilian Gabriel Carvalho (17 years old), from the Brazilian club Internacional.
The quarter-finals will open on Monday, with Al-Raed, twelfth in the league, facing Al-Jabalain from the second division, and Al-Shabab, sixth in the league, with Al-Fayhaa, runner-up in Al-Qaa.
Al-Hilal holds the record for the number of titles (20) against the Jeddah poles, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahly (18), and it won the title of the last edition at the expense of its capital city rival, Al-Nasr, which includes veteran Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, on penalties.
. .
