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Saudi Pro League | Gameweek 16
Dec 8, 2023 at 3pm UK
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa'ed Stadium

Al Tai
1 - 2
Al-Hilal

Mohammed (45+5')
Roco (34'), Cordea (79'), Mohammed (90+6')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Al-Dawsari (20'), Mitrovic (30' pen.)
Milinkovic-Savic (88'), Al-Dawsari (90+7')

Preview: Al Tai vs. Al-Hilal - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Friday's Saudi Pro League clash between Al Tai and Al-Hilal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Al-Hilal will be looking to extend their lead atop the Saudi Pro League when they head to Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Musaed Sports City to take on Al Tai on Friday evening.

The hosts are currently in 11th place in the league with 17 points after 15 games this season, while the visitors are now on 41 points and seven clear of their closest rival, Al Nassr.


Match preview

Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves in action with Al Shabab's Yannick Carrasco on September 29, 2023© Reuters

After a solid ninth-placed finish last season, Al Tai have yet to find their best form this term and come into this match with just four points separating them from Abha, who are the first side below the dotted line.

The Knight of the North have recorded five wins, two draws, and eight losses in their 15 matches this season, which included a run of five consecutive matches without a win between August and September.

However, after beating newly-promoted Al Riyadh at the end of October, Laurentiu Reghecampf's side have improved notably and come into this match, having taken 10 points from the last 15 on offer.

They now face the best side in the league this season, and their record of three losses and a draw in their last four against the league leaders does not inspire much confidence in their chances in this one.

Meanwhile, Al-Hilal are flying high at the moment and head into this encounter after securing the top spot in their group in the AFC Champions League by beating Nassaji Mazandaran 2-1 in midweek.

That was also the Blue Waves' 15th consecutive win in all competitions, and they are still the only side in the top flight that are yet to suffer defeat this season, boasting a league record of 13 wins and two draws.

The most recent of those league wins was arguably their most important so far, as they overcame Al Nassr 3-0 last weekend to take a commanding lead in the table, while it was also their fourth consecutive clean sheet.

Jorge Jesus's side have not only been good in defence, though, as they currently possess the best-attacking numbers as well this season with an incredible 46 goals scored, averaging over three goals per 90 minutes.

With a favourable run of matches leading up to Christmas, which include two of the bottom five teams, Al-Hilal look set to end the year in pole position and seem well on their way to winning back the Pro League title.

Al Tai Saudi Pro League form:

Al-Hilal Saudi Pro League form:


Team News

Al Hilal's Ali Al Bulayhi is shown a red card by referee Wilmar Roldan on December 1, 2023© Reuters

The hosts have two defensive injuries to contend with heading into this match, with Hussain Qasim and Abdulkarim Al-Sulaiman both expected to be out for a while with cruciate ligament injuries.

Bernard Mensah has scored in each of his last four games and will continue as the furthest-forward midfielder, while Nawaf Al-Aumairi will be serving the final of his three-match ban in this one.

The visitors, on the other hand, are seeing injuries starting to add up, with Yassine Bounou being the latest casualty after suffering a muscle injury which saw him withdrawn against Nassaji Mazandaran in midweek.

Neymar and Muteb Al Mufarrij are both out with cruciate ligament injuries, while Yasir Al Shahrani, Nasser Al Dawsari, Mohammed Al Owais, Malcom and Hassan Tambakti are all flagged as major doubts.

Ali Albulayhi is ineligible for selection after receiving a straight red against Al Nassr last weekend.


Al Tai possible starting lineup:
Al Bagawi; Mohammed, Al Nakhli, Bauer, Roco, Majrashi; Asiri, Semedo, Mensah, Al-Moasher; Al-Haizan

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Alwotayan; Abdulhamid, Koulibaly, Bulaihi, Al-Berik; Kanno, Al-Faraj, Michael, Alhamddan, Al-Dawsari; Shehri


SM words green background

We say: Al Tai 0-2 Al-Hilal

Al-Hilal are in excellent form at the moment and continue to churn out positive results despite having a fairly extensive injury list. The hosts have shown improvement after a difficult couple of months, but we feel that the visitors will be too strong for them in this one.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: Al Tai vs Al-Hilal

Al Tai
18.2%
Draw
9.1%
Al-Hilal
72.7%
11
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Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves pictured on August 19, 2023
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Al-HilalAl-Hilal31292095207589
2Al-Nassr31252493375677
3Al-AhliAl-Ahli31177761342758
4Al-TaawounAl-Taawoun311410748341452
5Al Ittihad31155115648850
6Al Ettifaq31111194132944
7Al Fateh31119115248442
8Al Fayha31119114249-742
9Al ShababAl Shabab31118124238441
10Damac31109124139239
11Al Khaleej3199133342-936
12Al WahdaAl Wahda31105164356-1335
13Al RaedAl Raed3188153948-932
14Al Riyadh3179152853-2530
15Abha3185183479-4529
16Al Okhdood3184192950-2128
17Al Tai3177173058-2828
18Al Hazem31311173072-4220


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