Saudi Pro League: Title credentials on show as leaders Al Hilal host Al Ahli

As the Saudi Pro League title race starts to take shape, Friday evening sees two of the top contenders go head-to-head at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Leaders Al Hilal host fourth-placed Al Ahli, with only four points separating the two.

One of the most celebrated fixtures in the Saudi football calendar, the clash returns after a one-season hiatus where Al Ahli spent a year in the second tier following their shock relegation, but the Jeddah-based outfit bounced back at the first time of asking and have quickly reestablished themselves back amongst the elite thanks to some heavy spending and the backing of their new majority owners, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The last encounter between the two sides, back in March 2022, saw Al Hilal emerge 4-2 winners in Riyadh, thanks to a hat-trick from Odion Ighalo, now at Al Wehda, while Al Ahli’s last win was in 2020 when goals from Omar Al Somah and Abdulfattah Asiri secured a 2-1 victory in Jeddah. Both players have since left the club.

Al Hilal fans look back fondly to May 2021 when they recorded their biggest-ever win against Friday's opponents. Doubles from Bafetimbi Gomis and Saleh Al Shehri helped the Blues to a 5-1 win as they went on to lift the title for a second season in a row.

For the Al Ahli faithful, arguably their best night in the past three decades came at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah against Al Hilal back in 2016 when a brace from Al Somah sealed their first league title in 32 years with a 3-1 home triumph.

Al Ahli go into the match with Turkish defender Merih Demiral sidelined by what looks like a long-term knee problem, while winger Allan Saint-Maximin faces a race against time to recover from a foot injury. Should he fail to make the