AFC Champions League: Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Published at :March 10, 2024 at 3:57 PM

Modified at :March 10, 2024 at 3:57 PM

A crucial second leg is on the cards for both the Saudi teams

Nadi Al-Sha’ab face a tough challenge in the AFC Champions League, needing a two-goal victory to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Despite a perfect home record in 2024, Al Ittihad have struggled in knockout ties when trailing after the first leg. However, their historical success against Al-Hilal at home provides a glimmer of hope.

On the other hand, Al-Hilal are dominating in 2024, winning all their matches and maintaining a flawless away record in the Champions League. While they occasionally concede early goals, their overall strength and past knockout success make them formidable opponents. They’ve already defeated Al Ittihad twice this month, extending their winning streak against them away from home.

Kick-Off:

Wednesday, 13 March at 12:30 PM IST

Location: King Abdullah Sports City

Form

Al Ittihad (in all competitions): W-W-L-L-W

Al Hilal (in all competitions): W-W-W-W-W

Players to watch

Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad)

Hamdallah is acclaimed as an “unstoppable phenomenon” and is renowned for his prolific goal-scoring effectiveness. As a highly technical player, he exhibits exceptional movement, heading technique, and lethal finishing skills.

Hamdallah is versatile, capable of scoring with both feet, and possesses vision that enables him to provide assists. He is affectionately nicknamed “the Executioner” due to his remarkable ability to find the back of the net.

Aleksander Mitrovic (Al Hilal)

Aleksandar Mitrovic embodies the characteristics of a traditional and powerful striker, demonstrating proficiency in retaining possession with his back to the goal and strategically positioning himself in areas conducive to scoring.

Despite being widely recognized for his dominance in aerial duels, attributed to his physical strength and height, Mitrovic’s intelligence in generating scoring chances in the penalty area is frequently underrated. He leads the scoring in the AFC Champions League.

Match Facts

In the first leg, the current Saudi Pro League champions ended their four-match unbeaten streak in the competition with a 2-0 loss to Al Hilal.
Al Hilal are on a four-match winning run against them away from home.
Al Ittihad have not lost consecutive Champions League knockout fixtures since 2014 tournament.

Injury & team news

Ahead of the crucial match, Al Ittihad faces challenges as N’Golo Kante is unavailable due to a red card, and Karim Benzema is speculated to be managing chronic pain, undergoing therapy. Furthermore, Ahmed Bamsaud, Ahmed Sharahili, and Abdullah Al-Jadaani are expected to miss the game due to cruciate ligament tears.

Al-Hilal continues to be without Neymar, recovering from a cruciate ligament tear. However, Kalidou Koulibaly made his first knockout stage appearance, forming a defensive back four with Saud Abdulhamid, Ali Al-Bulaihi, and Yasser Al-Shahrani. Mohammed Al-Qahtani returned to Champions League action last Tuesday after missing since matchday five, while Hassan Al-Tambakti made his first knockout stage bench appearance.

Head-to-Head

Matches – 45

Al Ittihad – 6

Al Hilal – 26

Draws – 13

Predicted Lineup for Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal

Al Ittihad predicted lineup

Al-Mayouf; Al-Olayan, Al Mousa, Hegazi, Kadesh; Al-Sahafi, Al-Ghamdi, Fabinho, Hawsawi; Romarinho, Hamdallah

Al Hilal predicted lineup

Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Koulibaly, Al-Bulaihi, N. Al-Dawsari; Al-Qahtani, Neves, Al-Faraj; Malcom, Mitrovic, Al-Dawsari

Match Prediction for Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal

Al-Hilal have maintained an unyielding momentum in this competition, making it difficult to envision their progress being hindered by a team that has been inconsistent throughout the campaign. The absence of Kante, once regarded as the best defensive midfielder globally, further adds to the challenges for the opposing side.

Prediction: Al Ittihad 1-2 Al Hilal

Telecast

India- FanCode

UK- No telecast

US- Paramount+

Nigeria- No telecast

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.