Al-Hilal have been backed to win the new Roshn Saudi League title by a group of Saudi football figures, including Fahad Al-Harifi, a former star of city rivals Al-Nassr.
The new league season begins on Thursday with three matches: Abha against Al-Hazem, Al-Shabab versus Al-Qadsiah, and Al-Ahli’s meeting with Al-Diriyah.
With the opening fixtures only hours away, former Al-Hilal players Mohammed Al-Deayea and Nasser Al-Shamrani both predicted that the “leader” will finish as champions. Their view was also shared by Al-Harifi, who represented Al-Nassr during his playing career.
Speaking on the Saudi television programme Dawrina Ghair, broadcast on the Saudi Channel, Al-Harifi said Al-Hilal’s level of stability made them the leading contenders.
“It will be difficult for Al-Hilal not to win the Saudi league title for three consecutive seasons, after losing it in the past two seasons,” he said.
He added: “With the stability that Al-Hilal is experiencing, compared with the changes that have taken place at Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal will be the first favourite.”
Al-Harifi argued that the overall balance of the squad and club placed Al-Hilal ahead of their rivals.
“All the indications confirm that Al-Hilal are the best, strongest, most ready, most complete and most stable team, and with these incentives the fans must support the team in order to help make the league a success,” he said.
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Al-Shamrani, who previously played for Al-Hilal, said the club’s status meant they should always be considered among the leading contenders for any competition.
“Al-Hilal are always candidates for any tournament they participate in, and this is a fact,” he said. “But it also depends on the circumstances, because we have to be realistic in football, and Al-Hilal are going through a period of stability.”
Al-Deayea offered a more cautious assessment of the team’s prospects under Italian manager Simone Inzaghi. He suggested that Al-Hilal may struggle to win the title unless the coach addresses mistakes from last season, while also expressing hope that the club’s owner, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, would review Inzaghi’s work with him.
“Inzaghi must avoid the mistakes he made last season, and that will only happen by holding meetings with him,” Al-Deayea said. “That did not happen last season, when the Italian coach was the number one person at the club.”
Despite his reservations about Inzaghi, Al-Deayea still placed Al-Hilal at the top of his predicted final standings.
“I expect Al-Hilal to be the league champions, followed by Al-Nassr, Al-Qadsiah, Al-Ahli, and then Al-Ittihad, who will not be able to compete,” he said.
The predictions come as Saudi clubs prepare for another season in which the title race is expected to focus on the established leading sides. Al-Harifi’s assessment places particular emphasis on Al-Hilal’s continuity, while changes at Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad are viewed as possible obstacles to their title challenges.
