Al-Nassr can stop Al Hilal, says club legend Fahad Al-Herifi

Fahad Al-Herifi believes Al-Nassr have the defensive organisation and squad depth needed to beat rivals Al Hilal, despite the league leaders’ 3-2 victory over Al-Ittihad on Saturday.

Al Hilal’s win in the eighth round of the Saudi Pro League restored their place at the top of the table. However, Al-Herifi, a former Al-Nassr and Saudi Arabia star, said his former club had the qualities required to challenge their city rivals in their direct meetings.

He argued that Al-Nassr’s current defensive structure and tactical approach could enable them to contain Al Hilal, provided they avoid losing any of their key players.

“​​With their defensive organisation, their current approach and a complete squad, provided none of the team’s current stars are absent, Al-Nassr are capable of stopping Al Hilal,” Al-Herifi said in televised comments about the Saudi league title race.

Al-Herifi also criticised Al Hilal’s performance against Al-Ittihad, saying their victory did not reflect their best level. He suggested that leading the standings did not mean the side were without weaknesses, particularly in defence.

“In my view, Al Hilal are not producing their best performance because of Inzaghi’s methodology and their defensive decline,” he said. “There are positioning errors, so Al-Nassr are the closest team to stopping Al Hilal.”

The former midfielder believes those defensive gaps could give opponents opportunities to exploit the space around Al Hilal and create chances against them, provided they are able to make the most of those weaknesses.