Al Hilal welcome back Hassan Tambakti and Simon Bouabre before Al Ahli Saudi clash

Al Hilal have received a significant boost ahead of Tuesday’s Saudi Pro League meeting with Al Ahli, with defender Hassan Tambakti and French winger Simon Bouabre returning to full team training.

The pair took part in Al Hilal’s group session on Saturday after completing their respective rehabilitation programmes. Their availability comes before the club’s postponed match against Al Ahli, which was originally scheduled as part of the third round of the Saudi Pro League.

Tambakti has been recovering from an injury to the area below his heel. The centre-back sustained the problem while representing Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup.

Bouabre’s injury occurred during training before Al Hilal’s opening league fixture against Al-Faisaly. The Frenchman subsequently underwent a rehabilitation and treatment programme before rejoining his team-mates in full training.

Both players have missed Al Hilal’s past three matches, against Al-Faisaly, Al-Fayha and Al-Khaleej. They were also absent for the club’s King’s Cup round-of-32 tie.

Their return gives Al Hilal additional defensive and attacking options before a fixture that will bring together two of Saudi Arabia’s leading clubs. The match against Al Ahli is the outstanding game from the third round of the league and will be played on Tuesday.

Al Hilal confirmed the players’ participation in Saturday’s collective training after the completion of their recovery work. The club did not provide any further details about their fitness or whether either player would start against Al Ahli.

Tambakti’s absence had left Al Hilal without one of their centre-backs following his injury with the Saudi Arabia national team. Bouabre, meanwhile, had been unavailable since the period immediately before the opening league encounter with Al-Faisaly.

The two players’ return to training marks the latest stage of their recovery and means they are back with the squad ahead of the postponed Saudi Pro League fixture. Al Hilal will now assess their condition before deciding how they are used against Al Ahli.

The meeting is being billed as the Saudi classic, with Al Hilal preparing to face Al Ahli after the two clubs’ recent run of fixtures without Tambakti and Bouabre. The pair’s involvement in Saturday’s session provides the club with renewed selection possibilities as preparations continue for Tuesday’s match.