The Saudi Pro League have dubbed this ‘Al Clasico’, as two of the giants of Saudi football go head-to-head when last year’s runners up Al Hilal travel to defending champions Al Ittihad on Friday. The two sides, though, have been struggling for form early in the 2025-26 season and are down in 4th and 5th in the league table respectively.
Al Hilal had made a big push to topple Al Ittihad in the summer when they brought in Simone Inzaghi as head coach and along with him the likes of Theo Hernandez and Darwin Nunez, but it’s not paid off yet. Of five league games, they’ve won three and drawn two. They’ve not hit top gear in the AFC Champions League either, but they’ve won three in three. On Tuesday, they hammered Al Sadd 3-1 and will be looking to translate Asian form into domestic results as well.
Al Ittihad, meanwhile, had been struggling in Asia too — and registered their first win in three against Al Shorta. They had to come from one goal down (and a man down) to win 4-1 and register their first three points of the ACL campaign. In the SPL, they’ve sputtered to three wins, a draw and a loss in five games. Currently sweating over superstar Karim Benzema’s injury concerns (and dipping form), Ittihad manager Laurent Blanc will hope they can rediscover their touch against their great rivals.
Here’s everything you need to know about the blockbuster clash:
How to watch:
The match will be available on ESPN Africa across Sub-Saharan Africa and FanCode in India. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Note: How to tune in to ESPN — ESPN: DStv 218, StarTimes 248 and ESPN2: DStv 219, StarTimes 249
Key Details:
Date: Friday, Oct. 24 at 8.00 p.m. CAT (9:00 PM Saudi; 11:30 p.m. IST)
Venue: Al Inma Bank Stadium, Jeddah
Injury news:
Al Ittihad
Karim BenzemaF: calf, DOUBT
Al Hilal
João CanceloD: hamstring, OUT
Salem Al-DawsariF: hip, DOUBT
Expected Lineups:
Al Ittihad
GK: Lecture Rajkovic
RB: Jan-Carlo Simic | CB: Saad Al Mossa | CB: Danilo Pereira | LB: Mario Mitaj
CM: N’Glo Kantity | CM: Houssem Aouar| CM: Fabinho
RW: Moussa Diaby | CF: Saleh Al-Shehri | LW: Roger Fernandes
Al Hilal
GK: Yassine Bounou
RB: Hamad Al Yami | CB: Hassan Tombakti | CB: Kalidou Koulibaly | LB: Theo Hernandez
CM: Ruben Neves | CM: Nasser Al Dawsari
RW: seagull | CAM: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic | LW: Mohamed Kanno
CF: Marcos Leonardo
Stats:
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Al Hilal top the SPL in terms of xG, with 15.73. They have, though, scored 15 goals from that while table toppers Al Nassr have hit 19.
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Al Ittihad are SPL’s most possession-heavy side. They average 7.8 passes per possession this season (up from 7.2 last season), the most of any club.
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Over their last 10 matches against each other, Al Hilal hold a very heavy advantage, winning 7 and losing just once. Hilal have also scored 25 goals to their rival’s 15.
Latest news and analysis:
– Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea, Juventus eye Milinkovic-Savic
A race between Chelsea and Juventus could take place for Al Hilal midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to Corriere dello Sport
– Transfer rumors, news: Saudi clubs still eye Man Utd’s Bruno
Manchester United are braced for bids from clubs in Saudi Arabia for captain Bruno Fernandes in January, according to the Manchester Evening News
– Transfer rumors, news: Benzema linked with Mourinho reunion at Benfica
New Benfica manager Jose Mourinho is keen to be reunited with his former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, according to Marca
