Al-Hilal host Al Kholood at the Kingdom Arena on Wednesday with the Saudi Pro League title race still alive at the top and a gap still to close. The defending power of the league remain second, five points behind leaders Al-Nassr, and are still the only unbeaten side in the competition.
That unbeaten status has now stretched to 42 matches in all competitions, and the run has kept Al-Hilal firmly in contention despite a 2-2 draw with Al-Taawoun in their most recent outing. Mohamed Kader Meite put them ahead in that match before Marcos Leonardo struck late to rescue a point, a reminder that even when they are not at their best they usually find a way back into games.
Al-Hilal have scored first in eight of their last nine matches, and they have carried that habit into Riyadh, where they have collected 34 points from 14 home matches. They have also won their last three meetings with Al Kholood, and they will expect another strong response with Salem Al-Dossari and Sultan Mandash back in training on Monday and available for selection.
There are still absentees. Karim Benzema remains a doubt, while Hamad Al-Yami and Youssef Akchichek are sidelined through injury. Darwin Nunez has been de-registered and has not featured since February, Abdulmalik Al-Harbi is out for the remainder of the season after an ACL injury, and Myziane Maolida and Norbert Gyomber are expected to miss out.
For Al Kholood, the margin for error is narrower. They are 14th with 26 points from 27 matches and sit six points above the relegation zone, with a defensive record that has left them vulnerable all season. They have conceded 50 goals in the Saudi Pro League, with only Al Akhdoud and Al Najma conceding more, and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight matches.
The away numbers suggest they can at least ask questions. Al Kholood have picked up 16 points on the road and have scored 20 away goals while conceding 20, but they have also let in goals in each of their previous three meetings with Al-Hilal. That leaves Wednesday looking less like a routine away day and more like another test of whether they can survive long enough to keep the game close.
Al-Hilal’s unbeaten league run gives them the edge, but the real pressure sits on the side trying to stay afloat. If they start fast again, as they have so often, Al Kholood will spend much of the night trying to keep the scoreline from getting away from them.
