[WATCH/STREAMS!] Al Hilal vs Al Ahli Live Free Online Broadcast 27 October 2023
The pick of matchweek 11 pits Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli at the King Fahd International Stadium on Friday evening. Al-Hilal vs Al-Ahli Live stream: TV channel, kick-off time, where to watch
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How to watch the Saudi League match between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, as well as kick-off time and team news.
The hosts' have made a very promising start to the league season, as they are yet to lose a game this term, sitting three points clear at the top of the table after 10 rounds.
The Blue Waves returned to action post-international break with a 1-0 victory over Al Khaleej. Jorge Jesus' side continued their winning run in the AFC Champions League with a 6-0 thrashing of Mumbai City FC at home on Monday to maintain their lead in Group D.
Currently trailing Al-Hilal by four points in the league standings, Al-Ahli could close that gap to one point should they manage a third win in a row here, having beaten Jeddah rivals Al-Ittihad in the derby and then followed it up with a 3-1 home win over Al-Wehda last time out.
Al-Hilal vs Al-Ahli kick-off time
Date: October 27, 2023
Kick-off time: 7:00 pm BST
Venue: King Fahd International Stadium
The Saudi Pro League clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli will be played on October 27, 2023 at 7:00 pm BST in King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hilal head coach Jorge Jesus has no fresh injury concerns after Al-Hilal's comfortable 6-0 victory against Mumbai City in the AFC Champions League. Brazilian superstar Neymar will miss the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury on international duty with Brazil, while Salman Al Faraj will be serving the final of his three-match ban in this one.
Al-Ahli boss Matthias Jaissle could be forced into at least two changes to his starting XI. Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie could miss out after he was forced off in the 3-1 win against Al-Wehda. The same goes for electric winger Allan Saint-Maximin, who has suffered minor ligament damage to his foot and is likely to face a spell on the sidelines.
Defensive duo Merih Demiral (meniscus) and Abdullah Otayf (cruciate ligament tear) are sidelined with respective injuries, while former Leeds United full-back Ezgjan Alioski is ineligible for selection.
Al-Ittihad is the current league champion, with nine titles in total, and shares the position of second most winners with Al-Nassr. Al-Hilal is the reigning champion with 18, having last won the title in 2021-22.
The top two finishers guarantee direct qualification for the AFC Champions League while the third place team plays in the qualifying round, similar to the system adopted in South America with the Libertadores. The top three teams in the second division and the bottom three are relegated to the country's second division.
The Saudi League had its first season in 1976-77, with eight clubs: Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr, Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al Wahda, Al-Qadisiya, Al Shabab and Al-Riyadh. The competition is now made up of 18 clubs, who play round-robin matches over 34 rounds.
For the current campaign, the Saudi Pro League has invested R$2.4 billion in signings, bringing in well-known names in world soccer, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kanté, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané, Alex Telles, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, Riyad Mahrez, Roger Ibañez, Franck Kessié, Allan Saint-Maximin, Edouard Mendy, Malcom, Rúben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.
With the ambition of making Saudi Arabia the country of soccer, the government invests in local soccer with the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Fund (PIF), which ends up controlling the biggest clubs: Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr.
The Blue Waves returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Al Khaleej that kept their unbeaten league record this season intact, including eight wins and two draws, and they are also the only side in the top flight that are yet to lose a match.
Jorge Jesus's side followed that result with a dominant performance in the AFC Champions League in midweek, beating Indian Super League outfit Mumbai City 6-0 at home to maintain their lead in Group D.
Aleksandar Mitrovic bagged a hat-trick in that game, which was his sixth goal in his last five matches, and he is also the joint second-highest-scoring player in the league at present with seven to his name.
While the hosts will know this will not be an easy matchup, they will gain confidence from the fact that they did beat this opponent 4-2 the last time they met, and another win here will give them a sizeable lead over one of the sides that were tipped to challenge for the title this season.