Al-Hilal will be aiming to continue their impressive unbeaten start to the Saudi Pro League when they host Al Shabab on Friday.

While the hosts currently sit second in the table the visitors are in 11th place, but do come into the game on the back of three consecutive wins in all competitions.

Match preview

Al-Hilal have made a fantastic start to the 2023-24 campaign which sees them head into the weekend sat in second place, just one point behind the current league leaders Al Ittihad.

However, Jorge Jesus has managed to guide his team to an unbeaten beginning in the league, being the only club to have achieved that after the first seven matches.

With five victories and two draws, there has been plenty for the fans to enjoy, particularly at home where Al-Hilal have been offensively strong, scoring nine goals in three matches.

However, their goal threat has dropped dramatically in the last three matches where Al-Hilal have only scored a single goal in each match which is something Jesus will want to see change.

Ruben Neves managed to score the only goal of the game during their last outing which resulted in a 1-0 against Al Jabalain in the King Cup of Champions, but now the focus will switch immediately back to league football.

The visitors also progressed in the King Cup of Champions recently as they came from behind to defeat Al Batin 2-1 after Yannick Carrasco bagged a brace, with the winner coming in the 118th minute.

That victory marked a third consecutive win for Al Shabab in all competitions, building up some steady momentum for themselves heading into this particular fixture.

Juan Brown's men have had a mixed run so far with two victories and draws alongside three defeats which has left the club in midtable after the opening seven fixtures.

Al Shabab have struggled more on the road this season, particularly from an offensive standpoint as they have only scored twice in three away games.

However, after scoring six times in their past two matches alone, the team should have some more confidence in front of goal which they now need to translate into their performances on the road.

Team News

The hosts should have Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the line with the former Fulham striker being the main target man since joining the club.

Neves should also find himself part of the midfield again, but there will likely be question marks over whether or not Neymar finds himself in the starting XI.

The Brazilian has been in the news denying that he tried to get Jesus sacked and he did not feature in their recent King Cup of Champions match.

Iago Santos slotted straight back into the Al Shabab back four this past weekend after missing out on the previous match due to injury, and he should retain his place in the team.

Carrasco is also expected to keep his place following an impressive individual performance in the King Cup of Champions where he scored a brace.

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Bono; Al Shahrani, Al Bulayhi, Jahfali, Abdulhamid; Neves, Al Dawsari; Neymar, Malcom, Michael; Mitrovic

Al Shabab possible starting lineup:
Kim; Al Harbi, Saiss, Santos, Al Saqour; Cuellar, Banega, Al Qahtani; Carrasco, Bahbri, Diallo

We say: Al-Hilal 2-0 Al Shabab

Al Shabab heads into this match in the midst of a good run of form which should lead to them playing with confidence that could result in them causing some problems.

However, Al-Hilal should ultimately have too much quality in this particular match, with the hosts the firm favourites to take all three points.

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

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