Al Hilal face 20-day fixture gap as Simone Inzaghi rejects friendly option

Al Hilal will not play another match for 20 days after head coach Simone Inzaghi decided against arranging a friendly during the current international break.

The Saudi Arabian club’s last fixture was a 2-0 victory over Shabab Al Ahli on 3 November in the fourth round of the AFC Champions League Elite league phase.

Al Hilal had been scheduled to face Al Ettifaq at the end of last week, but the Roshn Saudi League postponed the entire 13th round before the international window. The decision followed the postponement of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

According to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiyah, Inzaghi preferred not to add a warm-up match to the schedule. Instead, Al Hilal will hold training games during daily sessions, which are due to begin on Saturday at the Al Majdiah Sports Centre in Riyadh.

The Italian’s decision comes as the first-team squad is heavily depleted by international call-ups and injuries.

Eight Al Hilal players are currently with the Saudi Arabia squad at its camp in Doha: Mohammed Al Owais, Mohammed Al Mehasibi, Hassan Tambakti, Moteb Al Harbi, Ali Lajami, Mohammed Kanno, Nasser Al Dawsari and Sultan Mandash.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has joined Morocco, while defender Kalidou Koulibaly is with Senegal. Yusuf Akcicek is away with Turkiye’s youth team, and midfielders Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves are representing Serbia and Portugal respectively. Winger Crysencio Summerville is with the Netherlands.

Captain Salem Al Dawsari is among three players unavailable through injury, alongside Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli and French midfielder Simon Bouabre.

Youth players to provide cover

With so many senior players absent, Inzaghi will turn to Al Hilal’s under-21 side, which competes in the Jowy Elite League, to help cover the first team during the break.

The under-21 team are sixth in the table with 17 points from eight matches. Their record consists of five wins, two draws and one defeat.

This is the second time this season that Inzaghi has called on players from the under-21 squad, having done so during the previous international break.

Al Hilal’s next match is against Uzbekistan’s Neftchi on 23 November at the opposition’s ground, in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League Elite league phase.

The club are second in the West region with nine points from four matches, having recorded three wins and one defeat. They trail leaders Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates by three points.

Al Hilal will then travel to Dammam to face Al Ettifaq on 28 November in the rearranged 13th round of the Roshn Saudi League.

They currently lead the league with 30 points from 10 wins and one defeat. Al-Qadsiah and Al-Nassr are second and third respectively, both two points behind.