Al Hilal will be up against defending champions Manchester City in the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup in Orlando on Monday.
Manchester City, coached by Pep Guardiola, performed exceptionally well in the group phase, clinching the top spot in Group G with victories over Wydad AC, Al Ain, and Juventus.
On the other hand, Al Hilal secured the second spot in Group H after drawing matches against Real Madrid and FC Salzburg, followed by a 2-0 win over Pachuca.
The teams will battle it out for a chance to potentially face Inter Milan or Fluminense in the quarter-finals, where Al Hilal's manager Simone Inzaghi could come face to face with his former team.
Team updates
Manchester City will be missing Mateo Kovacic due to an Achilles injury, while Claudio Echeverri is sidelined with an ankle problem.
Rico Lewis will be absent for the second consecutive match due to suspension, but could possibly return for the quarter-finals if Manchester City progresses.
There might be changes in the lineup with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden potentially being called back by Guardiola.
Rodri, who started his first match for City since September, successfully completed 66 minutes against Juventus without any issues.
Unfortunately, Al Hilal will be without their captain Salem Al-Dawsari for the remainder of the tournament due to a hamstring injury.
Despite missing striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, Al Hilal still has a strong core featuring players with experience in top-level European competitions such as Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Joao Cancelo, and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Cancelo will be facing Manchester City, the club he left under slightly tense circumstances in January 2023.
Defender Abdullah Al-Hamdan and midfielder Abdullah Al-Malki will be absent due to injuries, while midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr is expected to be fit for the match.
Key statistics
Manchester City was the only team to win all three of their group stage matches, scoring 13 goals and conceding just twice.
Under coach Inzaghi, Al Hilal has only conceded one goal in three matches.
However, Al Hilal has faced defeats in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League in the last two seasons, including a 5-4 aggregate loss to Al Ain in 2023-24.
Pep Guardiola has an impressive track record in the Club World Cup, winning 10 out of his 11 matches by a margin of more than one goal.
Prediction
Al Hilal has showcased strong defensive organization and a pragmatic style, holding teams like Real Madrid and Salzburg before defeating Pachuca.
However, the absence of Al-Dawsari and Mitrovic will likely impact their attacking prowess.
On the other hand, Manchester City has shown clinical finishing and possesses greater depth and quality in their squad.
Guardiola's proven success in this competition and their dominant performance in the group stage indicate that Manchester City is unlikely to stumble in this fixture.
While Al Hilal may pose some challenges, ultimately, Manchester City's firepower is expected to be too much for them to handle.