Al-Hilal will play their second match in the elite jawwy league this season, but they will face a largely unknown side when they host Al-Khaleej at their home ground in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Al-Hilal opened their Saudi Under-21 League campaign with a dramatic win over newly promoted Al-Faisaly. Trailing to a goal in the second minute, they turned the game around to win 2-1 through a brace from Turki Al-Ghamil, a result that lifted them to seventh on three points.
Their lack of familiarity with Al-Faisaly, who were playing their first match in the elite jawwy league, caused “The Leader” real problems. The same issue looms in the second round against Al-Khaleej, even though their opponents are into their second season in the competition.
Al-Khaleej, unlike Al-Hilal, have yet to kick off their Saudi Under-21 League campaign. Their opening match against Al-Akhdoud has been pushed back to 18 December.
Adding to Al-Hilal’s concern is a bogey record. They failed to beat Al-Khaleej in their only meeting in the elite jawwy league last season, a goalless draw in the penultimate round of the league stage.
That stalemate went a long way to costing the capital club top spot in the league stage. They slipped to second, a single point behind Al-Ettifaq, and they are desperate to avoid a repeat so early in the new campaign.