JEDDAH, 9 April 2008 — One mistake and you’re dead. In their last chance at a shot for the title, Al-Hilal face Al-Shabab in a must-win match today in the 21st round of the Saudi Football League.
At 44 points to Al-Ittihad’s 48 Hilal need the victory to stay alive in the title race. Failing this they could forget about a league and Crown Prince Cup double although a draw is not a bad option.
A draw would give Hilal 45 points and a final stab at glory, meaning they will have to beat Ittihad by three goals if they are to clinch the title in their match on April 13. Another scenario is that Hilal only have to score a simple victory against Ittihad if they hurdle the second of two pending matches in Riyadh against Shabab (38 points) today.
Hilal and Shabab drew their first makeup match 1-1 on Wednesday in a result that added pressure in Hilal’s daunting task.
The draw left Shabab’s own bid to overtake Hilal at second place in shambles although the Riyadh-based club could do Ittihad a favor by beating Hilal and handing Ittihad the league crown. In this case, the final league match between Ittihad and Hilal becomes meaningless.
In other 21st round matches, Al-Watani entertain Al-Ittifaq in Tabuk, Qadesia host Taie in Dammam, and Al-Hazem receive Nasr in Al-Rass.
