Two teams in contrasting form face off in the sixth round of the Saudi Profesional League when Al-Hilal welcome Al-Riyadh at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium (9 PM EAT). As the Blues go in search of a fourth straight win, the visiting team will be looking to end a streak of three consecutive defeats. It could be said that an impossible mission lies ahead for the visitors, especially since the Brazilian superstar Neymar is expected to make his debut for the most trophy-winning team in the country.
Al-Hilal are at the top of the league after five matches. Having started the season with a 3-1 win over Abha on August 14, the Saudi giants were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha five days later.
Jorge Jesus‘ men responded with two high-profile victories, beating Al-Raed 4-0 on August 24, four days before returning home to beat Steven Gerrard‘s Al-Ettifaq 2-0.
Al-Hilal had another excellent performance in their last outing before the international break, coming from two down to beat arch-rivals Al-Ittihad 4-3 on September 1, in the Saudi El Clasico. The man of the match was Aleksandar Mitrović, who scored a hat-trick.
The Blues have now achieved four wins and a draw in five matches, collected 13 points and are in second place in the table, behind Al-Ittihad, who are the current leaders with 15 points and a game more. Al-Hilal ended their three-year dominance last season when they finished third in the table with 59 points from 30 matches, behind Al-Nassr and top-ranked rivals from Jeddah.
Meanwhile, making their first professional league appearance in nearly two decades, Al-Riyadh endured a turbulent return to the top flight in Saudi Arabia. Yannick Ferrera‘s men ended a 17-year absence from the strongest national league as they won 63 points from 34 matches in the second tier last year.
Al-Riyadh were left empty-handed for the third straight game last time out as they suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Al-Akhdood – the decisive goal was scored by the Cameroonian striker Leandre Tawamba.
Al-Riyadh have now picked up just one point from their last four games since Knowledge Musona‘s 17th-minute strike helped them to a 1-0 win over Al-Wehda to open the campaign. This poor form results from a lack of attacking maturity, as the team has failed to break through the opposition’s defense in three consecutive duels, while conceding eight goals during that time.
Al-Hilal star Neymar became Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer in a 5-1 win over Bolivia as he broke Pele‘s long-standing record, and all eyes will be on the 31-year-old as he prepares to make his debut for the Blues.
Another massive summer signing Aleksandar Mitrovic had a dream debut as he scored a hat-trick to earn his side three points away to Al-Ittihad in the last round, and the former Fulham man should retain his place in the starting eleven, as well as the the Serbian national team member Sergej Milinković Savić.
