Preview Al Hilal vs Al Nassr, Prediction, Team news, Line-ups

Saudi Pro League: Preview Al Hilal vs Al Nassr | Date: December 1, 2023 | Time: 23:30 Hrs. | Location: King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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As game week 15 commences, we, Proleaguefootballsaudi.com share preview of Al Hilal vs Al Nassr scheduled for Dec. 1, 2023 at 23:30 Hrs local time.

Preview Al Hilal vs Al Nassr

This Friday night at King Fahd International Stadium rivals Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr will square off in a matchup of the heavyweights in the Saudi Pro League.

The first major Riyadh derby of the 2023–24 league season is quickly approaching, and excitement is building for what promises to be an intense matchup. The hosts are currently leading the league, with the visitors right behind them in second.

These two teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, with Al Ahli trailing Al-Hilal by seven points in the lead, despite the PIF-owned teams currently holding the top four spots in the Pro League this season.

The Blue Waves have been outstanding this season, leading them to a four-point advantage over their opponents going into this game with a record of 12 wins and just 2 draws in their 14 league games.

After their international break, Jorge Jesus’s team defeated Al Hazm 9-0 last weekend, and they won the AFC Champions League against Navbahor midweek for the fourth time in a row.

Saudi Pro League Standing

That evening’s 2-0 victory saw goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Malcom, the latter of whom has now scored four goals in two games after scoring a hat-trick against Hazem Al Samood over the weekend.

Since they lost to this opponent in the Arab Club Champions Cup final in extra time in August, Al-Hilal has gone 21 games without a loss and has not given up a goal in any of their last five games across all competitions.

Even though his team played a significant portion of the match with nine men, Cristiano Ronaldo was the player who scored the two goals in that final and led Al Nassr to their first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup victory.

After the international break, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored a brace in their 3-0 victory over Al Akhdoud, setting a new record as the highest-scoring player in league history with 527 goals.

After losing their opening two league games of the season to Al Ittifaq and Al Taawon in the middle of September, the outcome of that game marked Al-Alami’s fifth straight league victory and their tenth game without a loss.

Luis Castro’s team has also been very strong away from home lately. They have a nine-game winning streak in away top-flight games and have scored two goals or more in each of those wins, despite only managing two clean sheets during that period.

Although Al Nassr did win that cup match earlier this year, they lost to this opponent at this same location last term, and they will be aware that losing here again could cost them dearly in the championship game.

Team News

When you consider that Al Hilal has played the entire season without the services of their Brazilian superstar Neymar—who will miss the campaign due to a cruciate ligament tear—their record looks even more impressive.

Aleksander Mitrovic, a former Fulham striker, should start this match after receiving a brief rest against Navbahor in midweek. He has scored in each of his last eight starts across all competitions.

The main worry for Al Nassr going into this game will definitely be Ronaldo’s health, as he was forced off the field in their AFC Champions League match because of a neck injury.

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:

Bounou; Koulibaly, Al Burayk, Al Bulayhi, Abdulhamid; Neves, Kanno, Michael; Al Qahtani, Mitrovic, Malcom

Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:

Alaqidi; Al-Boushal, Alawjami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Fofana, Otavio, Talisca, Mane; Ronaldo

Our Prediction: Al-Hilal 2-1 Al-Nassr

We say, both teams are in great form going into this game, but Al Nassr did display some weakness in the middle of the week, particularly following the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, the league’s top scorer. Nonetheless, the Al Hilal performed admirably in their AFC Champions League match, and their undefeated season cannot be discounted.

Although we anticipate a fantastic match, we are betting on Al Hilal to win by just one goal.