JEDDAH, 2 January 2007 — The Saudi League round 15 takes place today when Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal clash in a crucial match at Prince Faisal ibn Fahd stadium in Riyadh.
The two heavyweights in Saudi football enter the match with different motivations — Hilal are seeking three win points in their quest to get to the top of the team standings while embattled Ahli are simply looking to make peace with their demanding fans with a victory.
Hilal are in third position with 23 points from 10 matches. They have three pending matches. A victory would propel Hilal to second place with 26 points and only two points adrift of league leaders Ittihad, who have 28 and with still possible 9 points to collect from their pending matches.
But Ahli won’t be easy pickings for Hilal although the Jeddah-based club will be playing in enemy territory and in cold weather. Ahli are under huge pressure from fans to stem the series of poor performances in a comedown from the last season when they won two major domestic titles. The latest defeat to rile the Ahli fans was the 3-1 verdict against Shabab here on Dec. 28.
Ahli are still trying to find the form that won them the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup and Crown Prince Cup crowns.
The Riyahd-based team are admittedly in better shape than Ahli. To compound their woes Ahli suffer a shortage in manpower. Team captain Hussein Abdulghani is out because of injury. Saheb Al-Abdullah is currently in the Eastern Province on a family visit. Kaio, Ahli star midfielder, is to also miss the match due to injury along with Bayano. This leaves Malek Muaz alone in the striking line.
In the other match today, Al-Watani of Tabuk host Taie of Hail. Taie will be looking to escape the cellar, while Al-Watani hope to nail the game three points to improve their position. Al-Watani are in the eighth position with 15 points and Taie 11th with 7 points.
