JEDDAH: The Zain Saudi Professional League resumes Tuesday with Al-Nasr and Al-Hilal coming face to face in a Riyadh derby match at King Fahd International Stadium. Al-Qadesia hosts Al-Wehda in Alkhobar in the other match of the day.
Currently Hilal ranks second in the team standings with nine points from three wins. Nasr is 10th with only one point from one draw against Ittifaq and a surprising 2-0 defeat against Shabab last week.
Wehda is in sixth position with two points and Qadisia 11th with only one point.
Hilal trails Al-Ittihad and is looking to collect as many points as possible to keep up with the Jeddah-based squad.
Nasr will be looking to end its point leakage having dropped five crucial points so far in just two matches — 2 against Ittifaq and full 3 against Shabab.
Hilal is likey to play the 4-4-2 formation with Essa Al-Muhayyani and Yaser Al-Qahtani in the striking line. It is expected to attack from the very first minute and rely on fast passes and never give Nasr chances in the midfield to maneuver.
Nasr club president, Faisal bin Turki bin Naser, had a pep talk with the players in the last meeting and urged them to put the Shabab match behind them.
Key Nasr players Hussein Abdul Ghani, the team captain, and Saad Al-Harthi will both be back in the lineup after recovering from injuries.
Abdul Ghani said in an interview with a local sports daily that Nasr is ready more than ever to face Hilal.
“The match is difficult but we are determined to collect the game’s three points against Hilal,” he said.
