Salem Al-Dawsari’s long-awaited return for Al Hilal has been placed in doubt after the club said the captain missed Friday’s team training because of pain in his foot joint, less than 24 hours before the Saudi Pro League match against Al Ittihad.
Al Hilal host their traditional rivals at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday in the eighth round of the Roshn Saudi League.
The club confirmed that Al-Dawsari attended the medical clinic at the Majdiah Sports Centre instead of joining the group session. The update was issued on Al Hilal’s official account on X on 9 October 2026.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup participant has not played for Al Hilal since the start of the season after undergoing surgery following his involvement with Saudi Arabia in the tournament, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Al-Dawsari returned to full training on Thursday and had been considered close to featuring against Al Ittihad, either in the starting line-up or among the substitutes. Al Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi had indicated that the winger could be involved.
However, the latest injury could prevent him from taking part altogether. The 34-year-old has not appeared in any other match for Al Hilal this season, meaning Saturday’s fixture would have been his first competitive outing since returning to training.
There is also uncertainty over Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. He took part only in the opening section of Friday’s session before continuing with his rehabilitation programme.
Al Hilal did receive a boost elsewhere, with France defender Theo Hernandez and Saudi Arabia defender Ali Lajami returning to collective training.
Both players had been absent since Al Hilal’s 3-0 victory over Al Ahli at the beginning of September, in the third round of the Roshn Saudi League.
Al Hilal go into the meeting with Al Ittihad aiming to reclaim top spot in the table. They are third on 18 points, one behind Al Qadsiah and Al Nassr, although both of those teams have played one more match.
The potential absence of Al-Dawsari would leave Al Hilal without their captain for a fixture they had hoped would mark his return, while the fitness of Milinkovic-Savic will also be monitored before the final team selection.
