Al-Faisaly won 1-0 over its host Abha, today (Tuesday), in a postponed match from the eighth round of the Saudi Professional Football League. Flavio scored the only goal of the match with a low shot from long range that landed in the bottom corner of Abha goalkeeper Donovan Leon, in the 70th minute.
The League Association had said that postponing the confrontation, which was scheduled to be held on October 11, came “after studying the circumstances related to the match, and in accordance with the approved regulatory procedures, to ensure dealing with circumstances beyond the control of the clubs, and maintaining the regularity of the competition.”
The two teams exchanged control at the beginning of the match, and Abha player Nabil Fekir fired a powerful shot that goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco deflected into a corner kick in the 36th minute.
After Flavio gave the visiting team the lead, Al-Faisaly striker Alexandre Mendy thought he had doubled his team's lead, but the goal was not ruled out due to offside.
Al-Faisaly advanced to 14th place with 10 points from 11 matches, and Abha remained at the bottom of the standings with two points after 10 matches.
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia will host Al-Shamal of Qatar, on Tuesday, at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor, Qatar, in a confrontation that brings them together in the third round of the league stage for the West region in the AFC Champions League for the Elite, setting its sights on achieving its third victory in a row, and maintaining its perfect record, in a match in which the hosts seek to achieve their first victory in their historic participation in the tournament.
Al-Hilal enters the confrontation in high spirits, after regaining the top spot in the Saudi Professional League with its exciting victory over Al-Qadisiyah with a score of 3-2, in a match during which the team demonstrated its ability to overcome difficult tests and resolve confrontations against direct competitors.
The capital team is looking forward to transferring its local momentum to the continental arena, and continuing its strong start in the tournament, which it aspires to regain its title, after achieving the full score in the first two rounds, raising its score to six points, and occupying third place in the Western Region standings, with goal difference from teams equal to it in the score.
Al Hilal had begun its journey by defeating Qatar's Al Gharafa with two goals to one, before beating Qatar's Al Sadd with two goals to none.
Italian Simone Inzaghi, Al Hilal's coach, hopes to continue the positive results despite the match pressure his team faces, especially after the strong confrontation against Al-Qadisiyah, which witnessed great physical effort from a number of players.
After the victory over Al-Qadisiyah, Inzaghi indicated signs of fatigue appearing on some members of his team, stressing the importance of assessing their readiness before the Asian confrontation, in light of the close match dates, and the need to maintain both physical and technical balance.
Al Hilal will be missing the services of Dutchman Crescencio Summerville due to a three-match suspension, which forces the technical staff to look for alternative options to compensate for his absence, while taking advantage of the elements the team possesses in various positions.
The confrontation carries additional importance for Al Hilal in view of its remarkable record in the league stage and the group stage of the Asian Championship, as it did not suffer any loss during the last 24 matches it played in these two stages, achieving 21 victories and three draws, in the longest series of its kind for any team.
Al Hilal also enters the match armed with a distinguished record against Qatari clubs, after maintaining its record undefeated in its last ten matches, during which it achieved eight victories and two draws, which strengthens its ambitions to continue its superiority when it meets Al Shamal for the first time in its history.
Al Hilal has brilliant names in its ranks, led by the English striker Watkins, in addition to the Brazilian player Gabriel Martinelli, the Serbian Sergei Savic, and the Portuguese Ruben Neves, in addition to the star Salem Al Dosari, who returns to participate again after being away due to injury since the beginning of the season, as well as the Moroccan Yassine Bounou, who represents a great source of safety in goalkeeping.
The match represents an opportunity for the Saudi team to achieve its third victory in the first three rounds, after it succeeded in opening its continental career with two victories for the third season in a row, an indicator that reflects its ability to deal with the Asian beginnings and maintain its competitive presence.
On the other hand, Al-Shamal goes into the confrontation with different ambitions, as it seeks to achieve its first victory in its first continental participation, after exiting with a draw in its two previous matches, to collect two points, and occupy tenth place in the Western Region standings.
The Qatari team had opened its campaign with a 1-1 draw with Al-Ittihad, before repeating the result against Uzbekistan's Neftchi, showing its ability to compete despite its lack of continental experience, compared to a number of participating clubs.
Al-Shamal hopes to invest the ground staff and the fans to achieve a positive result against one of the continent’s most prominent clubs, especially since facing Al-Hilal represents a real test of the team’s capabilities and the extent of its readiness to confront the teams nominated to compete for the title.
Al-Shamal has among its ranks Algerian Riyad Mahrez, who enters the tournament with the memory of winning the last two editions with the Saudi Al-Ahly team, as Mahrez looks forward to making his mark with the team in the tournament.
However, the Qatari team enters the confrontation after a decline in its results locally, as it suffered a loss in its last match in the Qatari League, at a time when it occupies fifth place with nine points from seven matches, which increases the difficulty of its task against a competitor who is experiencing a state of stability in terms of results.
Al-Shamal finds itself facing a major defensive challenge against Al-Hilal, which has the ability to create opportunities and diversify offensive solutions, in addition to its experience in dealing with external matches and the pressures that accompany them.
The Qatari team may resort to narrowing spaces and relying on quick offensive transitions, in an effort to reduce Al Hilal’s danger and exploit the opportunities that may be available to it, especially since a positive result against the Saudi team will give it a great morale boost in the rest of its continental career.
On the other hand, Al Hilal realizes that maintaining its perfect record requires dealing seriously with the competitor, and not being satisfied with the advantage of experience and capabilities, especially since Al Shamal succeeded in grabbing two points from the first two rounds against Al Ittihad and Neftchi.
