The pick of the matches in gameweek 11 will see Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli face off at the King Fahd International Stadium on Friday evening.
Both sides have made very promising starts to the league season, and the hosts currently lead the standings with 26 points while the visitors are in fourth and four points behind them.
Match preview
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After finishing third last season, Al-Hilal have begun the current campaign better than the rest and have already built up a three-point advantage over Al Taawon in second place after 10 matches.
The Blue Waves returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Al Khaleej that kept their unbeaten league record this season intact, including eight wins and two draws, and they are also the only side in the top flight that are yet to lose a match.
Jorge Jesus's side followed that result with a dominant performance in the AFC Champions League in midweek, beating Indian Super League outfit Mumbai City 6-0 at home to maintain their lead in Group D.
Aleksandar Mitrovic bagged a hat-trick in that game, which was his sixth goal in his last five matches, and he is also the joint second-highest-scoring player in the league at present with seven to his name.
While the hosts will know this will not be an easy matchup, they will gain confidence from the fact that they did beat this opponent 4-2 the last time they met, and another win here will give them a sizeable lead over one of the sides that were tipped to challenge for the title this season.
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Meanwhile, Al-Ahli will also come into this match brimming with confidence after clinching a very good 1-0 win over Al-Ittihad before the break and followed up with a solid 3-1 win over Al Wehda last weekend.
Allan Saint-Maximin, Riyad Mahrez and Roger Ibanez all got on the scoresheet against Al Wehda and with those results, the visitors' record this season now reads as seven wins, one draw and two losses in 10 games, with 20 goals scored, and 14 conceded in that time.
While they would have liked to be slightly higher up the table, Matthias Jaissle will know that his side has the advantage of not being involved in continental competition, especially as we head closer to the busy part of the season.
The Royal's chances of lifting the title in their first season back in the top flight will rely heavily on their ability to overcome the likes of Al-Hilal, who they have failed to get the better of in their last four meetings (W0 D2 L2).
The visitors will go into this match as the underdogs, and while the hosts have the better record so far this season, Al-Ahli can certainly not be ruled out of this one just yet.
Team News
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Jesus has only one injury absentee for this match in the form of Neymar, who is out with a serious cruciate ligament tear and is only expected to return next year.
Mitrovic is in a purple patch at the moment and will almost certainly continue in attack with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari in support, while Salman Al Faraj will be serving the final of his three-match ban in this one.
In the opposite dugout, Jaissle will have to make do without the services of defensive duo Merih Demiral (meniscus) and Abdullah Otayf (cruciate ligament tear), who are out with injuries.
Former Leeds United defender Ezgjan Alioski is ineligible for selection, which should see Bassam Al-Hurayji, Ibanez, Abdulbasit Hindi and Abdullah Al-Ammar make up the defensive line.
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Bono; Abdulhamid, Koulibaly, Al Bulaihi, Al-Shahrani; Kanno, Neves, Malcolm, Milinkovic-Savic, Al-Dawsari; Mitrovic
Al-Ahli possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Al-Hurayji, Ibanez, Hindi, Al-Ammar; Al-Majhad, Kessie, Mahrez, Veiga, Saint-Maximin; Firmino
We say: Al-Hilal 2-1 Al-Ahli
While the hosts have put up a few big scorelines already this season, most of those came on the road, while at home, they seem to have opted to remain defensively solid and see out games without too much fuss. This should be an entertaining match, but we feel Al-Hilal will claim the points and maintain their place at the top of the standings.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
