Al Hilal’s defensive boost comes with Salem Al-Dawsari uncertainty

Al Hilal will welcome back Hamad Al Yami after a nine-month absence before their AFC Champions League Elite meeting with Neftchi, while the fitness of captain Salem Al-Dawsari remains unclear.

Simone Inzaghi’s side will travel to face the Uzbek club on 23 November at Neftchi’s stadium in the fifth round of the league phase in the West region.

Saudi journalist Ahmed Al Ajlan reported nine days before the match that Al Yami had completed his rehabilitation programme following a knee-cap injury suffered last season.

The right-back was injured during Al Hilal’s match against Al-Taawoun on 24 February, a postponed fixture from the 10th round of the Roshn Saudi League. He underwent surgery in Finland in March.

Al Ajlan said on X that Al Yami would join full team training when the squad returned to work, as he builds towards a return to competitive action.

His comeback would provide a significant boost for Inzaghi, who has been relying on Mohamed Al-Qahtani as his only recognised right-back and has used left-back Moteb Al-Harbi as a replacement in the position.

Al Hilal are due back in training on Saturday after their players were given time off during the November international break. However, the squad’s return is accompanied by uncertainty over Al-Dawsari, who suffered a knee injury before the current international window.

According to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiyah, the captain will undergo a medical assessment on Saturday to determine whether he can resume group training.

The injury prevented Al-Dawsari from joining the Saudi Arabia squad at their camp in Doha. He has played only three matches since the start of the current season, appearing as a substitute twice and starting once.

His limited involvement followed surgery after his participation with Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has scored only once this season.

Al-Qahtani returns from Saudi Arabia camp

Al Hilal’s medical staff will also assess right-back Mohamed Al-Qahtani after he was withdrawn from Saudi Arabia’s camp in Doha.

The Saudi national team confirmed on Saturday that Al-Qahtani had returned to Riyadh after suffering a hamstring injury. He will miss Tuesday’s friendly against Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Al Hilal face a demanding run of fixtures after their trip to Neftchi. They will visit Al-Ettifaq on 28 November at the club’s stadium in Dammam, in the 13th round of the Roshn Saudi League.