Al-Hilal will look to extend their lead atop the Saudi Pro League standings when they take on Damac at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday evening.
The hosts are the only side in the top flight that are still unbeaten after 23 league games and enter this match with 65 points to their name, while the visitors are in sixth place with 34 points to date.
Match preview
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Al-Hilal are striding toward reclaiming the Pro League title and after beating Al Ittihad 2-0 on the road last week, they pulled 12 points clear of their closest competitors Al Nassr, who suffered an unexpected defeat against Al Raed.
With that result the Blue Waves are now on an incredible 28-match winning streak in all competitions and unbeaten in their last 36 games, dating all the way back to their Arab Champions Cup defeat to Al-Alami in August.
In addition, they are the only Saudi Arabian club that is still alive in the AFC Champions League after knocking over Al Ittihad 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-final, while Nassr were sent packing by Al Ain in a penalty shootout earlier last week.
Al-Hilal's win against Al Ittihad in the week also saw them etch their names in history as they now hold the world record for the most consecutive victories by a top-flight team (28), which was previously held by Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints.
At the Kingdom Arena, Al-Za'eem are riding an 11-match league winning streak, scoring two or more goals in all but one of those games and netting 13 in the last three matches alone.
Meanwhile, Damac are also in the midst of a productive season and if they are able to manage an against-the-odds win here, they will surpass the 36-point tally they managed across the entire of last season with 12 games still to go.
Despite their improved form this term, the Knight of the South were in a bit of a slump with three losses and a draw on either side of the international break before snapping up that run with a hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Al Wehda last week.
However, their performance in the match was far from convincing as they struggled to create many clear-cut chances and required an own-goal by Abdulelah Al Bukhari to break the deadlock.
While some may feel that this should be a straightforward three points for the hosts here, it is worth bearing in mind that Damac are one only of two sides - along with Al Fayha - that have managed to take a point of Al-Hilal this season when they held the Blue Waves to a 1-1 draw back in August.
Team News
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Al-Hilal have only one confirmed absentee for this match in Neymar, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a cruciate ligament tear.
Salman Al-Faraj was hooked before the hour-mark in midweek against Al Ittihad, and we could see him drop to the bench here, potentially for Abdullah Al-Hamdan, who replaced him in that match.
After netting the final goal against Al Riyadh last weekend, Aleksandar Mitrovic is now back within two goals of Cristiano Ronaldo for the Golden Boot, and the Serbian is almost certain to lead the line here alongside Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari.
Damac will remain without their first-choice goalkeeper Moustapha Zeghba, who will be serving the second of his three-match suspension for the straight red he received against Al Ettifaq at the start of the month.
Abdulbasit Hawsawi will continue between the sticks in the absence of Zeghba, with Sanousi Hawsawi, Noor Al-Rashidi, Abdelkader Bedrane and Dhari Sayyar Al-Anazi making up the defensive quartet.
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Al Owais; Abdulhamid, Koulibaly, Al Bulaihi, Al-Shahrani; Milinkovic-Savic, Neves, Al-Hamdan; Malcolm, Mitrovic, Al-Dawsari
Damac possible starting lineup:
AS Hawsawi; S Hawsawi, Al-Rashidi, Bedrane, Al-Anzi; Hamed, Antolic; Zain, Stanciu, N'Koudou; Al-Shahrani
We say: Al-Hilal 3-1 Damac
The Kingdom Arena has been a fortress for Al-Hilal this season, and there are no signs of the champions-elect stepping off the accelerator anytime soon. Damac are no pushover, but we feel they will be no match for the mighty Blue Waves in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
