Salem Al-Dawsari injury leaves Al Hilal doubt before Al Ittihad derby

Salem Al-Dawsari is a major doubt for Al Hilal’s Saudi Clasico against Al Ittihad after suffering a fresh injury less than 24 hours before Saturday’s match.

Al Hilal host their traditional rivals at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh in the eighth round of the Roshn Saudi League, with the home side seeking a victory that would return them to the top of the table.

The club confirmed on Friday that captain Al-Dawsari had missed the team’s final collective training session before the match. In a post on its official X account, Al Hilal said the forward had attended the medical clinic at the Al-Majdiah Sports Centre after experiencing pain in his foot joint.

The development is another setback for the player known as “The Tornado”, who has not played for Al Hilal since the start of the current season. He underwent surgery after representing the Saudi Arabia national team at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Al-Dawsari returned to full team training last Thursday and had been close to featuring against Al Ittihad, either in the starting line-up or among the substitutes. Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi had indicated that the captain could be involved.

However, the latest injury could rule Al-Dawsari out of the derby altogether. He has yet to make an appearance in any other match since the beginning of the campaign.

Al Hilal also face uncertainty over Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. He took part only in the opening section of Friday’s team session before continuing with his rehabilitation programme.

There was more positive news regarding Theo Hernandez and Saudi Arabia defender Ali Lajami, who both returned to collective training with the squad.

The pair had been absent since Al Hilal’s 3-0 victory over Al Ahli at the beginning of September, in the third round of the Roshn Saudi League.

Al Hilal go into the meeting with Al Ittihad third in the league standings on 18 points. They are one point behind Al Qadsiah and Al Nassr, although both of those teams have played one more match.

A win over Al Ittihad would therefore give Al Hilal the opportunity to reclaim first place, but they may have to do so without their captain and leading attacking threat.