Al Hilal face Al Shamal with midfield doubts and five players unavailable

Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi is set to leave three key players out of Tuesday’s AFC Champions League Elite meeting with Al Shamal, taking the Saudi club’s potential list of absentees to five.

Al Hilal travel to face the Qatari side at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on 27 October 2026, with both teams looking to strengthen their position in the league phase of the Asian competition.

According to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiya, Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves and Saudi Arabia full-back Mohammed Al-Mahzari are expected to be omitted from the squad as part of a rotation plan. The decision is intended to manage their workload ahead of Al Hilal’s next Saudi Pro League fixture.

Neves is not expected to be the only central midfielder missing against Al Shamal. Serbia international Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is also a doubt, with uncertainty over whether he will be fit enough to feature.

His potential absence would take Al Hilal’s total number of unavailable players for the match to five. Brazil winger Gabriel Martinelli is already out after suffering an injury during Al Hilal’s 3-2 victory over Al Qadsiah on Friday in the 11th round of the Saudi Pro League.

Netherlands winger Crysencio Summerville will also miss the game because he is serving a three-match suspension imposed by the Asian Football Confederation. The ban followed his sending-off during Al Hilal’s opening league-phase match against Qatari club Al Gharafa.

The potential changes come before an important domestic fixture for Inzaghi’s side. Al Hilal will host Al Fateh at Kingdom Arena on Saturday in the 12th round of the Saudi Pro League, just four days after their trip to Al Shamal.

Al Hilal have made a strong start to the AFC Champions League Elite league phase, sitting fourth in the West Region standings with six points from two victories. Al Shamal are 11th with two points, having drawn both of their opening matches.