The Riyadh Derby is always a huge affair and Tuesday’s is bigger than most. The situation for Al-Nassr is simple — win no matter the cost. For Al-Hilal however, it is a little more complicated and there is the question as to whether temporary local bragging rights are more important than crucial cup games later this month.
A win for Al-Nassr and their megastar Cristiano Ronaldo at the home of their biggest rivals would put them level on points at the top with leaders Al-Ittihad, though the Jeddah giants will have a game in hand.
Al-Hilal are now 10 points off the pace and know that top spot is realistically out of reach, but this could still be a season-defining game. Whatever happens, there is bound to be many talking points and there is always controversy surrounding the fixture — whether it is Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi planting a blue flag in the center circle after a win in the Asian Champions League, or Talisca’s delighted goal celebration in front of Hilal fans.
Ronaldo will get his first taste of one of Asia’s biggest derbies to go alongside El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Manchester Derby and the Derby D’Italia between Juventus and Inter Milan and many other major clashes.
Games against Al-Hilal, the most successful team in Saudi Arabia and Asia with 18 league title and four continental championships respectively, are never easy but that makes victories all the sweeter. It becomes a bigger deal because this is the first game since Al-Nassr parted company with coach Rudi Garcia last week. The Frenchman may have had the Yellows second in the table but there were reports that Ronaldo was not enamored of Garcia’s methods. It does not matter now as there is a temporary coach in charge in Dinko Jelicic, the Croatian moving up from the under-19 team to take charge of the senior squad. If ever there was a time for that new coach bounce, it is now.
It is quite a leap for the 49-year-old. If Al-Nassr lose and Al-Ittihad win their next league game, there will be six points between the top two with just six remaining. It would be almost all over which means that an Al-Nassr win would not only be widely celebrated by their fans, but would show everyone, both inside and outside of the club, that they have what it takes to become champions for the first time since 2019.
Ronaldo’s presence will be pivotal. Unlike the coach who has surely never been in charge for a club game of this magnitude, the former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus star has won almost everything there is to win and has played hundreds of times on the biggest of stages.
As well as his goalscoring abilities — he has managed 11 in 10 league games so far in the Roshn Saudi League — the 38-year-old’s leadership skills will be crucial. More than any other player in the world, Ronaldo has been there and done that and needs to do it once more, especially when the tactician in charge is relatively inexperienced.
Al-Hilal are in a very different situation. After just one point from the last three games — the latest of which was a defeat at the hands of bottom team Al-Batin — the champions know that there is not going to be a repeat of last season when coach Ramon Diaz led them on an amazing run that overturned Al-Ittihad’s 16-point lead. Now they are 10 points behind the Jeddah giants and have played a game more.
The problem for Diaz is that there is a King’s Cup semifinal against Al-Ittihad next Sunday and the first leg of the Asian Champions League final against Urawa Reds of Japan the week after that.
Now that the league title is no longer a realistic target for Al-Hilal, there will likely be a clear switch in focus from the league to their massive upcoming cup games.
Yet losing to Al-Nassr, and potentially helping their rivals win the title, is a painful prospect just as defeating them and almost derailing their challenge would be delicious. The Argentine boss knows that finishing third or fourth can be terminal for Al-Hilal coaches and will not want to add to the pressure that is building up around him. It is quite a conundrum.
The injury situation is starting to improve. Wide man Salem Al-Dawsari may make the bench while Yasser Al-Shahrani did just that last time around. Ali Al-Bulaihi is still recovering, though Diaz is slowly starting to get more options especially as Colombian midfielder Gustavo Cuellar returns from suspension, and much depends on in-form striker Odion Ighalo.
Al-Nassr are better off. The games have been coming at a much more leisurely pace for the Yellows, with their last match, a 0-0 draw with Al-Fayha, taking place a full nine days ago. And there is good news in that central defenders Abdulelah Al-Amri and Alvaro Gonzalez are fit to play.
Al-Hilal have a coach who has been here before yet has eyes on other prizes, while knowing just how important this game is. Al-Nassr have just lost their boss but have Cristiano Ronaldo. It is another edition of this Riyadh Derby and one that is unmissable.