Al-Hilal are still digesting their narrow loss to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup and preparing for a huge showdown with fellow Arab giants Al-Ahly of Egypt in Saturday third-place play-off, but they will be keeping more than one eye on events back home.
That is because of the huge top-of-the-table clash between Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr in Jeddah on Friday. It is the biggest game of the season so far and Al-Hilal, and surely most neutral fans who want the drama of a genuine title race, want their local rivals Al-Nassr to win.
If Al-Ittihad emerge victorious, then they will take a huge step toward a first title since 2009. A win over Al-Nassr, who dropped down to third on Thursday as Al-Shabab defeated Damac 2-1, will move the Tigers nine points clear of the Riyadh club, and with Al-Nassr then having 10 games left, it would leave the Yellows a lot to do.
It would also take Al-Ittihad a massive 16 points ahead of Al-Hilal, and while the defending champions would have two games in hand, it would take a monumental effort to close that gap.
And it would take a major collapse for the leaders who have been relentless. Last week’s 4-0 win at Abha was a ninth victory in succession. It was also the kind of win that brings titles. The hosts defended stoutly and held out for an hour, but the Jeddah giants stayed patient. There was some frustration but no panic, and once the deadlock was broken there was only going to be one winner.
It did not escape anyone’s attention that two of the goals were scored by Abderrazak Hamdallah, whose presence on the pitch adds an extra bucketful of spice to this already fiery clash. That brace took the Moroccan marksman, who joined Al-Ittihad in January, onto three goals from three for his new club, a scoring rate that he has already proven he can sustain over the seasons he spent at Al-Nassr.
Despite scoring for fun for the Riyadh club and winning the league’s golden boot in successive seasons from 2018 to 2020, the relationship soured and the goal machine was released in November as the bad feeling could not be contained any longer. It is safe to say that there is no love lost between player and ex-club.
Former teammate Talisca last week said he had considered leaving Al-Nassr earlier in the season because of Hamdallah and the atmosphere at the club improved once the player left. He said plenty more besides. The Moroccan, who did not go to the African Cup of Nations, has made an official complaint to the league’s disciplinary committee.
Do not expect many handshakes or hugs then, but Hamdallah will not mind that so much. He is starting to combine with Romarinho and Al-Ittihad have tightened up at the back, with just one goal conceded in the last four games compared to six conceded in the three before that. It is all looking good even if two of their best players are absent.
Star defender Ahmed Hegazi will miss out after getting injured at the African Cup of Nations, and the Egyptian’s presence and leadership will be needed for the title race. Igor Coronado is another major absence in attack.
Yet if Al-Ittihad are the league’s form team then Al-Nassr are not that far behind, and if the leaders have the prolific Hamdallah on their books, his old club do not seem to be missing him that much. The nine-time champions have won their last seven games. The latest victory was a 4-1 thrashing of Al-Tai with Talisca getting two goals to take his tally to 14 for the season, two more than anyone else.
The 2018 South American player of the year, Pity Martinez, has been like a new signing since returning from major injury, and new Uruguayan signing Jonathan Rodriguez scored on his debut.
Al-Nassr, who have not beaten Al-Ittihad in the league since 2018, are also tight at the back, with the goal scored by Al-Tai the first to be conceded in 453 minutes of league football. There is more good news. Vincent Aboubakar is back in the country after finishing the African Cup of Nations, though it remains to be seen if the Cameroonian striker, who Talisca said was hampered by the presence of Hamdallah, will start.
It all adds to the feeling that this is not only a huge game but a season-defining one. Al-Hilal will only be able to sit and watch from their hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi, but if they are to have any chance of a successful title defense, they need their Riyadh neighbors to end the leaders’ winning streak.
The best hope now may be that it has been 13 years since the Tigers last won the title, and the introduction of some doubt and pressure to the championship race could be significant. It is a small hope, but that is all Al-Hilal and the rest of the league have got. Al-Ittihad have to be stopped and soon, or it will be all over.