The final fixture of matchday eight in the Saudi Pro League will come from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, where Al-Hilal will be facing off against Al-Taawoun on Saturday evening.
The defending champions are already three points clear at the top of the league standings after the first seven matches, while the visitors have earned 11 points over the same period.
Match preview
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Al-Hilal will be feeling very good about themselves coming into this match, having exacted their revenge on UAE Pro League giants Al Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite earlier in the week.
Indeed, it was Hernan Crespo's side that knocked the Blue Waves out of the continental competition last season in the semi-final, denying them a shot at a treble in what was a sensational season for the side.
However, this time around, it was Jorge Jesus's men who came out on top in a nine-goal thriller, thanks to a hat-trick from Salem Al Dawsari following first-half goals by Renan Lodi and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
That result means that Al-Za'eem have won all 13 games they have played across all competitions this term, and took their goal tally for the season to a whopping 40, including three in each of their league home games.
At the Kingdom Arena, Blue Power have now won 15 top-flight matches in a row and are unbeaten in their last 26 games (W23 D3 L0) dating back to the middle of March last year.
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Meanwhile, after proving to be the only team in the league to challenge the PIF-owned clubs' dominance last season, Al-Taawoun have been less impressive so far in this campaign, picking up just 11 points from their first seven games.
Last time out, they just about managed to avoid defeat away to bottom-half Damac, with Abdulfattah Adam scoring an 85th-minute goal to salvage a 2-2 draw, taking their record to one win, two draws and a loss in their last four.
However, like their upcoming opponents, Sukkari Al-Qasim have been performing well in the continental cup competition, securing a 2-1 win against Altyn Asyr in midweek, which took them to the top of their group in the AFC Champions League Two.
One of the major contributors to Rodolfo Arruabarrena's side's struggles in the top flight this term has been their away form, as they have only taken one point from their three games on the road to date.
History suggests that the visitors are likely to find it difficult to improve that away record here, as they have lost each of their last three matches against the Blue Waves, conceding nine goals without response in that time.
Team News
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After over a year, Al-Hilal were able to welcome Neymar back from injury in the last match, and the former PSG star got the final 15 minutes of the victory against Al Ain under his belt.
Given the amount of time he spent on the sidelines, Jesus is unlikely to rush the Brazilian back into the starting lineup, especially after Al Dawsari's incredible performance in the last match.
Yassine Bounou remains the only injury absentee for the Blue Waves, and his presence has been missed, as we saw in the last match when third-choice Mohammed Al-Yami shipped four goals.
However, second-choice shot-stopper Mohammed Al-Owais has reportedly shaken off his back injury and could return between the sticks this weekend.
Al-Taawoun also have just one player missing for this weekend's trip in the form of Mohammed Mahzari, who has not featured as yet this season due to a knee injury and is only likely to return next year.
Joao Pedro and Musa Barrow have both scored twice in the visitors' last three games and should make up the three-man front line again this week alongside Sultan Mandash.
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Al-Owais; Cancelo, Koulibaly, Al Bulaihi, Lodi; Milinkovic-Savic, Neves, N. Al Dawsari, Malcolm, Mitrovic, S. Al-Dawsari
Al-Taawoun possible starting lineup:
Maylson; Abdulrazzaq, Girotto, Al-Ahmed, Al Nasser; El Mahdioui, Al-Farhan, Flavio; Mandash, Pedro, Barrow
We say: Al-Hilal 3-1 Al-Taawoun
Al-Hilal have looked almost unstoppable over the first two months of this season, and their home record is nothing short of incredible. With the form the Blue Waves are in, it feels unwise to back against them picking up another comfortable victory this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
