Today, Tuesday, at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, the Derby of Hope and Pain will take place between the defending champions Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr in the twenty-fifth stage of the Saudi Professional League Roshen. In the final round of the AFC Champions League competition, April 29 in Riyadh and May 6 in Satyam.
The derby is of great importance for the two teams, especially the second win, three points behind leaders Ittihad Jeddah, who are looking to rebalance after stumbling in front of their humble master, Al-Faihaa, causing a sack. his French coach Rudy Garcia and the appointment of Croat Denko Jelicic (49), trainer of Sunni groups, in his place.
Al-Nasr is top of the Saudi League standings with 53 points from 23 matches, 3 points behind Al Ittihad, the leader with 56 points, and Al-Hilal is fourth with 46 points.
Both teams enter the match with special scores as the match has a special meaning for Nasravi on the way to the title challenge, especially after the gap with Al-Ittihad widened to 3 points.
Today’s derby gives the winner new hope to finish the season with strength, while the loser is in great pain that could affect his career in the rest of this season’s competitions.
While Al-Hilal is looking for an opportunity to correct course, especially after the team was eliminated from the competition, and now wants to regain confidence before the upcoming confrontations, whether it be the semi-final of the Cup of the Custodians of the Two Holy Mosques against Al-Ittihad on April 23, as well as the first match of the final of the AFC Champions League against the Japanese Urawa on April 29 of the same month.
Al-Hilal breathed a sigh of relief at the return of Salem Al-Dosari to group training, as well as the appearance of Yasser Al-Shahrani, after he stopped playing after our team’s match with Argentina at the last World Cup in Qatar.
Gustavo Cuellar also returns after the end of the suspension, as the player missed the Al Tayeh and Al Bateen matches.
However, defender Ali Al Bulaikhi’s absence has been confirmed as the player continues his rehabilitation program for a recent injury.
In the win, acting coach Dinko breathed a sigh of relief as defensemen Abdullah Al-Omari and Alvaro González returned to group training after they each suffered muscle injuries during practice.
Tonight’s match will be Al-Nasr’s first since the departure of their coach Rudi Garcia, who was sacked a few days ago and is currently managed on an interim basis by Croatian coach Dinko Jelicic.
strengths of both teams
Al Hilal has a great attacking power with the presence of the professional trio of Musa Marega, Odion Ighalo, André Carrillo and Michel Delgado, in addition to the presence of Saleh Al Shehri and Abdullah Al Hamdan. All these names give Argentina the advantage of Ramon Diaz in achieving attacking form in that he wants to appear before Al-Nasr.
While the offensive elements that the Al-Nasr team has are based on local and international experience, as they can make a difference in the stadium at any moment, which is very reliable during today’s confrontation, and they are led by the legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of Talisca, and in the center is Luis Gustavo, left-back Gilsan Konan and defender Alvaro Gonzalez.
Al-Nasr’s attack is currently considered the strongest in the league, scoring 49 goals, on par with Al-Shabaab’s attack, compared to 43 goals scored by Al-Hilal’s attack.
Al-Nasr’s defense is also second-best in the league, conceding just 12 goals, while Al-Hilal have scored 23 goals in the Roshan League this season, also favoring Al-Nasr.
The Al-Nasr club relies heavily on the Ronaldo Talisca duo in recent matches, as the team’s results are always tied to their technical condition during the match.
While Al Hilal’s danger lies in the fringes and Ighalo’s use of half-headed chances, midfield is also considered to be one of Al Hilal’s greatest strengths and can control the pace of matches. .
