Al Hilal will look to maintain their perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season when they welcome Al Ahli to Kingdom Arena on Tuesday evening.
Simone Inzaghi’s side have won all three of their league matches so far, scoring 12 goals in victories over Al Faisaly, Al Fayha and Al Khaleej. Al Ahli have taken six points from their opening three games but suffered a 3-1 defeat at Al Kholood last time out.
The match is also the first meeting between the clubs since Al Hilal’s 4-1 victory over Al Ahli in the King’s Cup in March. Their previous league meeting ended 0-0 at Kingdom Arena in February.
Match preview
Al Hilal have made a formidable start under Inzaghi, winning their opening three league fixtures by an aggregate score of 12-3. They began with a 4-2 victory over Al Faisaly before beating Al Fayha 3-0 and Al Khaleej 5-1. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been particularly influential, while Rรบben Neves and Crysencio Summerville have also made strong contributions.
The hosts have also undergone significant attacking changes in the past few days. Ollie Watkins joined from Aston Villa on a three-year contract on August 30, while Karim Benzema left the club by mutual agreement the following day. Watkins could therefore make his Al Hilal debut against Al Ahli, although his involvement was still subject to a final fitness assessment on Monday.
Al Ahli’s start has been more uneven. They opened their league campaign with a 1-0 win over Al Diriyah and followed that with a 4-0 victory over Abha, with Ivan Toney scoring a hat-trick. However, they were beaten 3-1 by Al Kholood on Saturday, leaving Marino Pusic’s side six points from their first three matches.
Toney remains the visitors’ principal attacking threat and has four league goals already. Eduard Spertsyan and Francisco Trincรฃo have also provided creativity, but Al Ahli face a considerably tougher test against a side that has scored four or more goals in each of its opening three league matches.
Team News
Al Hilal have a major selection question in attack following the arrival of Watkins and departure of Benzema. Inzaghi confirmed that Watkins trained with the squad before the match and said his inclusion would depend on a final physical assessment. Hassan Al-Tambakti was also being assessed after returning to team training.
Benzema is no longer available after Al Hilal confirmed on Monday that the club and the former France international had mutually agreed to terminate his contract. Watkins is consequently the obvious candidate to lead the attack if cleared to play.
Al Ahli have no major absences reported ahead of the fixture. Pusic is likely to retain much of the side that started against Al Kholood, although the 3-1 defeat could prompt changes as the visitors attempt to contain Al Hilal’s attack.
Predicted Lineups
Al Hilal: Yassine Bounou; Joรฃo Cancelo, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ali Lajami, Theo Hernandez; Rรบben Neves, Sergej Milinkoviฤ-Saviฤ; Malcom, Crysencio Summerville, Salem Al-Dawsari; Ollie Watkins.
Al Ahli: รdouard Mendy; Ali Majrashi, Merih Demiral, Roger Ibaรฑez, Saad Yaslam; Valentin Atangana Edoa, Artem Bondarenko; Francisco Trincรฃo, Eduard Spertsyan, Galeno; Ivan Toney.
Watkins is the key uncertainty in the Al Hilal XI. Inzaghi confirmed that the new signing had trained with the squad, but stopped short of confirming that he would play. Given Benzema’s departure, Watkins would be the natural starting striker if passed fit.
The remainder of the predicted XI is based on Al Hilal’s established early-season selections, with Bounou, Koulibaly, Neves, Milinkoviฤ-Saviฤ and Summerville among the regular starters. Al Ahli’s predicted side follows their most frequently used personnel, with Toney leading the line and Trincรฃo and Spertsyan supporting him.
How to watch Al Hilal vs Al Ahli
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Kick-off: 7pm BST / 9pm Saudi Arabia time / 11am ET
Venue: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh
UK: OneFootball PPV
USA: FS2 and Fubo
The match is listed for OneFootball PPV in the UK, while Fox’s schedule confirms FS2 coverage in the United States.
What we say: Al Hilal 3-1 Al Ahli
Al Hilal’s attacking form makes them difficult to oppose at Kingdom Arena. They have scored 12 times in three league matches and arrive after a 5-1 win over Al Khaleej, while Al Ahli were beaten 3-1 by Al Kholood only three days ago.
The visitors have enough attacking quality to cause problems, particularly through Toney, but Al Hilal’s greater consistency and home advantage should prove decisive. The statistical model also makes the hosts clear favourites, giving Al Hilal a 58.19% chance of victory compared with 20.1% for Al Ahli.
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