LONDON: After a busy summer of international sport, football fans in Saudi Arabia will once again turn their attention to domestic matters starting on Tuesday.
So will the players, some of whom played in the European Championships but on Monday were making their final preparations for the Saudi Super Cup, a competition that not only serves as a curtain-raiser to the new league campaign but gives last season’s top-four teams an early chance to claim some silverware.
Pro League Champions and Super Cup holders Al-Hilal face Al-Ahli on Tuesday, while Al-Nassr will take on Al-Taawoun the following day. The winners will meet in Saturday’s final, just five days before the league season kicks off.
In 2023, Al-Hilal got their hands on the trophy with a 4-1 defeat of Al-Ittihad in the final, a victory that foreshadowed a dominant league season. There have not been that many changes in the blue corner of Riyadh since then; last year they were active late into the transfer window but this year it might be a case of “if it is not broken, do not fix it.”
So far this summer, most of the movement has involved players leaving, with Saudi internationals such as Salman Al-Faraj, Saleh Al-Shehri and Abdulellah Al-Malki moving on. Preseason games in Austria went well, with wins over Al-Arabi of Qatar and Italian clubs Udinese and Como.
As is often the case in Saudi Arabia and Asia, Al-Hilal are once again the team to beat, and manager Jorge Jesus and his men will be looking in particular to Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic for inspiration in the coming months.
The Super Cup comes a little soon for Neymar to appear in the line-up for Al-Hilal, as the Brazilian superstar is still recovering from the cruciate ligament injury he picked up in October. There are hopes he might return next month, and encouraging news elsewhere on the injury front as well; his compatriot, winger Malcom, who shone in his debut season and was one of the league’s standouts, looks to be fit.
There were rumors that two other Brazilians, left-back Renan Lodi, who has yet to impress since arriving from Marseille in January, and forward Michael, could be on their way out but they might get a chance in the Super Cup to show the coach they still have a part to play in the coming campaign.
Opponents Al-Ahli are in a similar position. As yet they have not made any big signings, and Allen Saint-Maximin departed on loan to Fenerbahce in Turkey. Coach Matthias Jaissle had a successful first season in charge, with the German leading the Jeddah giants, who had just returned to the top flight from the second division, to a very respectable third-place finish.
Fans will be hoping that can be a platform from which to mount a genuine title challenge this season and Tuesday will offer an early indicator of that. Roberto Firmino could prove crucial; the Brazilian was inconsistent last time around, after signing from Liverpool, but has impressed during the preseason. Should “Bobby” get back to his best, he could seem like a new signing for the famous green army of fans to get behind.
In the other semi-final there will, as always, be plenty of attention on Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old returns from the Euros and is desperate to claim a first domestic trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing for Al-Nassr in December 2022. The Super Cup is not the priority for the player, or the team that finished second in the league last season, but it would take a little pressure off early in the campaign.
Coach Luis Castro has come in for criticism from pundits and fans on social media. The preseason has been poor and the Portuguese boss acknowledged this, pointing out that a number of new players arrived late.
“I promise the fans that we will continue to work hard to get the team moving in the right direction,” he said.
The Super Cup could prove crucial for Al-Nassr. A continuation of the summer’s bad results will only heighten the pressure, while lifting some silverware early on would help to ease it.
Brazilian international goalkeeper Bento has been the side’s major signing so far. Meanwhile there has been plenty of interest from other countries in members of Al-Nassr’s star-studded squad.
Aymeric Laporte, the center-back who played a major part in Spain being crowned European champions during the summer, was linked with a move to Real Madrid as the Spanish side looked to replace Nacho, who joined Al-Qadsiah. Attackers Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca, whose injury during the second half of last season was a big blow to the Yellows, have also been on the shopping lists of European clubs. For the moment, at least, they continue to prepare for the new season in Saudi Arabia.
As for Al-Taawoun, they deserved their fourth-place finish in the league last season, above Al-Ittihad, and cannot be counted out. Under Pericles Chamusca, the team from Buraidah might not quite have the consistency required to challenge for the top spot over the course of a league season but they are capable of beating anyone on their day.
The Super Cup will not define the season for any of these clubs but all four will nonetheless be desperate to start off in positive fashion with a trophy.
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On Monday, Al-Hilal head coach Jorge Jesus said he had confidence in his team to get the job done.
“We clinched the title last season, and we aspire to achieve this title to kick off a new season, gain confidence, and to strive to continue winning throughout this season,” he said.
“The absence of Brazilian Malcolm Felipe will not affect our team, we also have absences in terms of Kalidou Koulibaly and Ali Al-Bulayhi, but we have 20 available players. I have confidence in my players,” he added.
His Al-Ahli rival, Matthias Jaissle, said during a pre-match press conference that it was up to the directors to sign new players amid concerns about a lack of new talent coming into the club.
“We have no excuse for not meeting my desires to sign new players, I have informed the management of all the team's needs, and the matter is up to them,” he said.
The German confirmed the current side had a positive training camp in Austria ahead of the Super Cup showdown.
“We hope to start the season by winning this title, as we face a big team that won championships last season, and we seek to make a notable appearance,” he said.
“Our fans support us everywhere, and I bet on their significant presence in front of Al-Hilal, despite not signing new players, I am confident in the support of our fans.”
