Preview: Al-Hilal vs. Abha - prediction, team news, lineups

Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal will welcome relegation-threatened Abha to Riyadh on Thursday.

An astonishing winning run by Jorge Jesus's side leaves them a long way clear at the top at the halfway stage of the season.

Match preview

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Al-Hilal hit the midway point with yet another win to leave them 10 points clear of closest challengers Al-Nassr, albeit, having played a game more.

An excellent mix of attacking proficiency and defensive solidity leaves Jesus's side top of the scoring charts with 50 goals, while also boasting the best defensive record, with 10 clean sheets from 17 games.

Having only dropped four points all season, Al-Hilal are now in the midst of an 18-game winning run across all competitions, since draws with Damac and Navbahor Namangan in September.

While taking them a long way clear at the top of the league, that run has also helped them into the semi-finals of the Kings Cup and the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League.

Al-Hilal, unsurprisingly, have a strong recent record in this fixture, after a shock 3-2 defeat in 2021, they have gone on to win the last four meetings, and won 3-1 on the opening day thanks to a hat-trick from Malcom.

Youssef Manai's side are heavily up against it here, as they come into the fixture showing no form at all.

A draw with Al Hazem last week ended a five-game losing streak, but they remain in the relegation zone at present.

After escaping the drop by just five points last season, Abha look set for another battle near the bottom, especially considering their five-game losing run saw them concede a staggering 19 goals.

It is devilishly tight in the bottom half of the Pro League though, as seven points separate the entire bottom half, with Abha themselves just two points from safety.

Team News

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Al-Hilal are likely to remain largely unchanged after yet another fine win last time out against Al-Wehda.

Mohamed Kanno will look to work his way back into the starting XI, but he faces stiff competition from the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves, while Yasir Al Shahrani could start following his recent return from injury.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is the star of the side in Neymar's absence, as only Cristiano Ronaldo has managed more goals than his 15 in the league this season.

Abha's six overseas players make up the bulk of their starting XI, and they are likely to be crucial if they are to claim a very unlikely result here.

Ex-Lyon striker Karl Toko Ekambi is their top scorer with five, and he should start in attack along with another former Ligue 1 man - Francois Kamano.

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:

Bono; Abdulhamid, Koulibaly, Al Bulayhi, Al Shahrani; Ruben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic; Michael, Malcolm, Al Dawsari; Mitrovic

Abha possible starting lineup:

Tatarusanu; Al Qumayzi, Al Sahafi, Noguera, Naji; Al Sudani, Krychowiak, Matic; Bguir, Toko Ekambi, Kamano

We say: Al-Hilal 6-0 Abha

If Al-Hilal are on their game they will win this at a canter, and win it emphatically, against one of the division's poorest defences.

For a side showing no form at all, facing the runaway league leaders away from home is not the ideal assignment for Manai, and the task will likely be to keep the score down.

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