Saudi Pro League newcomers Al Kholood will face their sternest test in the top flight yet when they welcome Al-Hilal to the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts have picked up four points in as many games this season which sees them sat in 11th place, while the visitors are already three points clear at the summit of the table.
Match preview
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Al Kholood's rise over recent years has been nothing short of remarkable, as this is a team that as recently as 2020-21 were playing in the third tier, and in 2016-17 were battling in the division below that.
Last season was a perfect illustration of the progression they have made, as the side spent the entire first half of the campaign in the bottom half of the Saudi First Division League before ending the season with a surge to claim third place and their first-ever promotion to the top flight.
The Pride of Ar Rass kicked off their inaugural Saudi Pro League campaign with two difficult fixtures against Al Ittihad and Al Riyadh which they lost, though they have shown improvement against teams more closely matched to themselves since then, earning a 3-3 draw against fellow newly-promoted outfit Al Oruban and beating Al Wehda 1-0 on the road last week.
The next goal for new boss Paulo Duarte, who replaced compatriot Fabiano Flora this summer, will be to secure a first home win for the season, though the Portuguese tactician will likely be fully aware that doing so in this fixture will be a tall order.
Still, with nothing to lose and absolutely no pressure on their shoulders this weekend, the hosts will be able to play with freedom, and a solid performance will give them huge confidence heading into a favourable fixture against Al Khaleej next week.
Meanwhile, after smashing all sorts of records en route to the domestic double last season, the winning machine that is Al-Hilal are at it again this term, currently the only side in the division with a perfect four-from-four record ahead of this week's fixtures.
The Blue Waves enter this match off the back of a rare 1-0 win in midweek over Al Bukayriyah in the King's Cup, though that is likely down to Jorge Jesus making wholesale changes to the side he sent out on the night.
The defending champions will now return to the Pro League, where their last match ended in a 3-1 win over Al Ittihad, a result which maintained their record of scoring three goals in each match in the league to date.
Of the 12 goals that Al-Hilal have smashed in this season, eight have come off the boot of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is fairly comfortably at the top of the Golden Boot standings, three ahead of Karim Benzema and five clear of Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Serbian has also netted four of his side's six away goals this term, and he has found the target in each of their last six matches on the road dating back to the start of April last season.
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Team News
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Veteran centre-back Mohammed Jahfali was an unused substitute in last weekend's loss to Al Shabab, but he will likely be back in contention to feature here against his former employers.
Real Betis loanee Alex Collado has been the standout performer for the hosts this season having notched up three goals in four appearances, and he will almost certainly keep his place in the three-man attack alongside African duo Myziane Maolida and Jackson Muleka.
While recent reports have suggested that Neymar is closing in on a return after a year on the sidelines, Jorge Jesus put an end to speculation after his side's midweek victory by confirming that the Brazilian superstar is likely to remain out until next January.
Joao Cancelo played the full 90 in midweek, which could see Renan Lodi start in his place this weekend, with Jesus potentially looking to save the Portuguese full-back for the AFC Champions League match against Al Shorta in three days time.
Al Kholood possible starting lineup:
Grohe; Al Hawsawi, Gyomber, Troost-Ekong, Al Dosari, Al Qahimi; Dieng, Al Safari; Collado, Muleka, Maolida
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Al-Yami, Koulibaly, Al-Bulayhi, Lodi; Milinkovic-Savic, Neves; Malcom, Leonardo, Al-Dawsari; Mitrovic
We say: Al Kholood 1-3 Al-Hilal
Al-Hilal are firing on all cylinders once again this season and it is difficult to see anyone challenging them for the title if they can maintain their current level of performance throughout the campaign.
While Al Kholood would love to take something from this match, we feel they will be no match for the mighty Blue Waves.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
