Preview: Al Fateh vs Al-Hilal - prediction, team news, lineups

Mid-table Al-Fateh host Al-Hilal on Saturday evening in Matchday 26 of the Saudi Pro League at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium.

While Al-Fateh have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, the visiting Blue Waves arrive firmly in the title race and will be looking to extend their unbeaten league campaign.

Match preview

It has been a difficult run of results for Al-Fateh, who have managed just one victory from their last 11 matches and have failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous 12 outings.

Despite beginning the campaign on a positive note, the Sons of the Palm now sit 11th in the table with seven wins, seven draws and 11 defeats, leaving them searching for consistency as the season enters its latter stages.

Their home form has been mixed, recording five wins, three draws, and five defeats at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, amassing 18 points on their own turf.

Jose Gomes's side head into this encounter following a narrow 3-2 defeat away to Al-Taawoun, and Jose Gomes will be hoping his side can produce a strong response despite facing one of the league’s title contenders.

Last season’s 10th-place finish suggests the club may once again settle into a mid-table finish, though consistency remains their biggest challenge.

Indeed, Al-Fateh have scored eight goals in their last five matches and have found the back of the net regularly, failing to score only once in their previous eight games - a goalless outing against Al-Nassr.

Al-Hilal, meanwhile, remain the only side yet to suffer defeat in the Saudi Pro League this season, continuing their impressive 2025-26 campaign with 18 wins and seven draws from 25 matches.

The Blue Waves have drawn two of their last five league matches but have otherwise maintained strong form, collecting three victories during that stretch.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have also been formidable away from home, accumulating 28 points on their travels while scoring an impressive 36 goals - the highest tally recorded away from home in the division.

Their most recent outing ended in a dominant 4-0 victory over Al-Najma, with Karim Benzema scoring twice while Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic also found the net.

Currently third in the table and three points behind league leaders Al-Nassr, the Blue Waves will see this trip as a valuable opportunity to keep pace in the title race.

The Blue Waves will also be aiming to complete a league double over Al-Fateh, having secured a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in November, thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Ruben Neves after initially falling behind.

Recent meetings further favour the visitors, who have won each of their last seven encounters against Al-Fateh and will be confident of continuing that dominant run.

Al Fateh Saudi Pro League form:

DLLWDL

Al-Hilal Saudi Pro League form:

WWDDWW

Al-Hilal form (all competitions):

WWDDWW

Team News

Al-Fateh have no major injury concerns ahead of the clash and could welcome Matias Vargas back into the starting line up after he missed their previous outing.

Mourad Batna has been one of the team’s key attacking threats this season, scoring eight goals so far, including four in his last three appearances.

In midfield, Marwane Saadane and Zaydou Youssouf are expected to feature alongside Sofiane Bendebka, who will provide support to the attacking line.

Al-Hilal, meanwhile, could be without Ruben Neves, who remains a doubt with a hamstring issue and may miss out if he fails to recover in time.

Nasser Al-Dawsari is expected to remain sidelined with a toe injury until late March, while Hamad Al-Yami is unavailable due to a knee injury.

Hassan Al-Tambakti has returned to training after recovering from a hamstring problem and could be involved in the matchday squad.

The Blue Waves will also be without Yusuf Akcicek, who has been sidelined since January with a muscle injury and is not expected back until early May.

Al Fateh possible starting lineup:

Pacheco; Baattiah, Aljari, Fernandes, Al-Swealem; Saadane, Youssouf; Batna, Bendebka, Al-Aboud; Vargas

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:

Bounou; Al-Harbi, Koulibaly, Al-Tambakti, Hernandez; Milinkovic-Savic, Hawsawi, Kanno; Malcom, Benzema, Salem Al-Dawsari

We say: Al Fateh 1-3 Al-Hilal

While Al-Fateh have shown glimpses of attacking quality in recent weeks, their defensive struggles and poor run of results make this a daunting task against one of the league’s most consistent sides.

Al-Hilal’s attacking firepower and impressive away record should give them the edge, and the Blue Waves are likely to extend their unbeaten run with another victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.