Saudi Pro League Game: Damac v Al Hilal | Date: September 21, 2023 | Time: 23:30 Hrs. | Location: Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium, Abha, Saudi Arabia

DAMAC Football Club ضمك is going head to head with Al Hilal Saudi Football Club نادي الهلال starting on 21 Sept 2023 at 20:30 Hrs . The match is a part of the Saudi Professional League. Currently, DAMAC rank 16th, while Al Hilal hold 1st position. Looking to all updates on DAMAC and Al Hilal, stay connected with Proleaguefootballsaudi.com for all updated news and team details.

Damac vs Al Hilal: Preview

On Thursday, Damac and Al-Hilal square off in a Saudi Professional League match at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium. The two teams have had very different seasons thus far.

The Blue Waves are the only unbeaten club in the league after six rounds of play, and they currently hold the top spot in the standings as the visitors look to pick up their first victory of the year.

Damac lost to Al-Wehda 4-2 last Thursday when they faced off at the King Abdul Aziz Stadium, showing that they are still having trouble in the new Professional League season.

Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo scored three goals to help the hosts break their two-match losing streak in a game where Noor Al-Rashidi was given the game’s final whistle in the 43rd minute.

Damac has now gone eight league games without a win since May’s 1-0 success against Abha. In their first six games this season, they failed to win any of them, losing three and drawing three.

Damac v Al Hilal: H2H

With eight goals in their first six games, only eight teams have scored more, Cosmin Contra’s club has not had to worry about penetrating opposition defenses this year.

However, the reason for their sluggish start to the season has been their problems on defense, as they have already given up 13 goals and have yet to record a shutout.

The high-flying Al-Hilal team, who have won five of their previous eight matches and drawn two more since October 2019, will present a formidable challenge for Damac as they attempt to start their season on Thursday.

Al-Hilal was prevented from having a dream start to the 2023–24 AFC Champions League season when they were held to a 1–1 draw by Navbahor Namangan on Monday at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia.

Toma Tabatadze’s opening goal in the 52nd minute was canceled out by Ali Al-Boleahi’s equalize in the 10th minute of stoppage time, but Al-Hilal still had to settle for a share of the spoils despite controlling the game and having over 75% of the ball possession.

The team of Jorge Jesus now focuses on the Saudi Professional League, where they have had a fantastic start to the year by winning five of their first six games.

Only once this season has Al-Hilal lost a point, and it was on August 19 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Fayha thanks to goals from Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Fashion Sakala on either side.

The Blue Waves are presently in first place in the Saudi Professional League rankings, one point ahead of Al Ittihad, with 16 points out of a possible 18.

Team News

After receiving a first-half red card against Al-Wehda the previous time out, defender Al-Rashidi will sit out the first of a three-match suspension for Damac.

In his place, 28-year-old Sultan Faqihi should start with Dhari Al-Enezi, Farouk Chafai, and Alhwsawi Sanousi Mohammed to form the back four.

Although superstar acquisition Neymar struggled in his AFC Champions League debut on Monday, we anticipate him to lead the Al-Hilal assault once more.

On September 15, the former Paris Saint-Germain player, who has lately passed Ronaldo as Brazil’s record scorer, assisted against Al Riyadh in the Saudi Professional League. He will likely cooperate with Michael, Malcom, and Aleksandar Mitrovic in the final third.

The veteran midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki, who has been sidelined since January due to a torn cruciate ligament, will not be available for Al-Hilal.

Damac possible starting lineup:

Hawswi; Al-Enezi, Chafai, Faqihi, Mohammed; Antolic, Hamed; N’Koudou, Stanciu, Al-Bishi; Ceecay

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:

Bono; Al Shahrani, Al Bulayhi, Jahfali, Abdulhamid; Neves, Al Dawsari; Neymar, Malcolm, Michael; Mitrovic

Damac vs Al Hilal: Prediction

We say, Al-Hilal has gotten off to a fast start this year and will be licking their chops as they take on a Damac team that is struggling and has yet to win. The Blue Waves are our pick to win this one easily given the disparity in talent and depth between the two teams.