Al Hilal-Al Nassr is a match of the 25th day of the Saudi League and is played Tuesday at 9 pm: TV, streaming, formations, predictions.
It wasn’t enough for them to stay in the race for second place, just three points behind leaders Al-Ittihad. Former Roma coach Rudi Garcia has not been the coach of Al-Nassr, which he led since last summer, for more than a week now. Yet another disappointing result, the 0-0 draw with Al-Fayha, was fatal to him, slowing the run-up of CR7 and his teammates.
It seems that there is indeed the Portuguese’s hand in his exoneration: Ronaldo had already appeared visibly displeased on the pitch and, according to rumors filtering in from the Saudi capital Riyadh, at the end of the Saudi League match with Al-Fayha the club made a decision precisely as a result of a harsh confrontation between Garcia and the rest of the players, with whom the relationship was now at rock bottom. His successor is Croatian Dinko Jelicic, who until a few days ago was coaching the Under-19 side. He will be the one to ferry Al-Nassr to a league finale that promises to be as scorching as the temperatures in the Arabian desert. There are seven days to go in the Saudi League and Ronaldo’s team needs to make up three points against the first in the standings, but at the same time it needs to watch its back against Al-Shabab, which threatens its second place.
Jelicic, meanwhile, will make his debut in the heated city derby against Al-Hilal, the country’s most titled club. Coached by Argentine Ramon Diaz, Al-Dawsari and his teammates are experiencing a peculiar moment and finished -10 from the top. Blame the last three matches, in which the Shark – this is the club’s nickname – has barely picked up a point. A worrying drop for the team that last February contended with Real Madrid for the Club World Cup in Morocco, losing 5-3 in the final to Ancelotti’s Merengues.
Jelicic, new Al-Nassr coach
The prediction
The last precedents tell of an almost perfect balance: in December the first leg ended 2-2, played just before Cristiano Ronaldo’s landing. The Portuguese has already scored 11 goals in 12 appearances with Al-Nassr and could be one of the main protagonists in a derby that is likely to provide entertainment, between two teams that must win at all costs. Both should score at least once.
The probable lineups of Al Hilal-Al Nassr
- AL-HILAL (4-4-2): Owais; Dawsari, Jahfali, Aldawsari, Hadhood; Al-Faraj, Otayf, Kanno; Al-Shehri, Ighalo, Vietto.
- AL-NASSR (4-1-4-1): Alaqidi; Ghanam, Amri, Gonzalez, Konan; Alkhaibari; Talisca, Luiz Gustavo, Sulaiheem, Ghareeb; Cristiano Ronaldo.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2