Clasico rivals lock horns for top spot | OneFootball

Those connected to Al Ittihad might be forgiven for breaking into a cold sweat every time they think about their recent record in the Saudi Clasico against fiercest rivals, Al Hilal.

This is a rivalry that, in recent times at least, has been dominated by the boys in blue from Riyadh.

Indeed, only once since 2016 have Al Ittihad managed to take all three points in a Roshn Saudi League clash between the Kingdom’s two most decorated clubs. The ledger in that time makes for bleak reading for those in black and yellow; across all competitions from 2016, the two have met 24 times, with Al Hilal winning 18 and Al Ittihad just once.

Zoom in on the head-to-head, and Al Hilal have won all of their previous seven encounters - and all of the past six in the RSL. For a rivalry as fierce, as passionate and intense as the Clasico, to be so one-sided is almost unparalleled.

But there is another set of numbers that will give the Jeddah giants hope heading into this weekend’s blockbuster fixture at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium.

Seven-one.

That is the score from their mammoth victory against Al Wehda on Sunday, the first time Al Ittihad have scored seven in a game since their 7-0 win over Hajer in December 2011.

With a hat-trick from captain and talisman Karim Benzema - taking his season’s tally to four goals in three games - it was the type of ruthless performance Al Ittihad displayed in their title-winning season in 2022-23.

The introduction of new signings Moussa Diaby, Houseem Aouar and, latterly, Steven Bergwijn has breathed new life into the nine-time Saudi champions.

Diaby, a French international, became only the second player in RSL history to register four assists in a single game with his performance against Al Wehda, while Bergwijn added two of his own on debut.

Aouar, meanwhile, has scored in every game so far this season having arrived from AS Roma in the off-season.

And so Al Ittihad travel to Riyadh full of confidence that things have turned around from their poor title defence last season when they finished a distant fifth - a whopping 42 points behind Al Hilal. It represents the largest-ever points gap between the two rivals.

In many ways, this weekend’s fixture bears incredible similarities to their first meeting last season.

On that occasion, the game came in Matchweek Five, with Al Ittihad sitting top of the table with a perfect 4-0 record. In fact, until that point, they had yet to even concede a goal.

Al Hilal were lying third, also undefeated, but had unexpectedly dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Al Fayha in the previous round of fixtures.

Played in Jeddah in front of a capacity crowd at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Al Ittihad took a commanding 3-1 lead into half-time and looked on track for a fifth straight victory in the nascent 2023-24 campaign.

What happened in the second half, however, changed the course of the season for both teams.

Inspired by Serbian star Aleksandar Mitrovic, a scintillating burst of three goals in 11 minutes - including two goals in five minutes for Mitrovic to secure his hat-trick - flipped the game on its head and, in the blink of an eye, Al Hilal went from 1-3 down to 4-3 up.

How things might have changed if Al Hilal had lost a game early in the season. Instead, they went on a world-record winning streak, and an undefeated run in the RSL that continues to this day. Currently, it sits at 39 matches.

Within five matches, Al Ittihad had dropped to sixth and title-winning manager Nuno Espirito Santo was shown the door.

Toppling this Al Hilal machine, clearly, is no easy feat and already this season Jorge Jesus’ side are showing little sign of letting up from the relentless and ruthless pursuit of excellence they displayed last term.

While Al Ittihad go into the latest Clasico top of the table - that is by virtue of goal difference thanks to that thumping 7-1 win, with Al Hilal also having recorded three wins out of three.

And, just as Benzema is leading the way for Al Ittihad, so too is Mitrovic, the thorn in the side for Al Ittihad last season. Incredibly, he has netted a brace in all three RSL games so far this season.

Then there is Saleh Al Shehri. The Saudi international forward returns to Riyadh for the first time since a summer move to Al Ittihad, where he will look to play the impact-sub role he perfected at both Al Hilal and the national team. Should coach Laurent Blanc need a goal late on, it could be time for Al Shehri to shine against his former club.

Watching from afar will be right back Saud Abdulhamid, the boy who grew up at Al Ittihad, making his debut under Slaven Bilic, developed into one of Saudi Arabia's top players at Al Hilal. Before his move to AS Roma, he left his mark on the Clasico with a famous celebration after scoring the third of Al Hilal's goals in the 3-1 victory in their most recent league meeting.

This is a fixture that over the years has had it all, from blowouts to epic final day deciders to cup finals and everything in between. When these two sides meet, regardless of whether anything is at stake, it is always consequential.

Last year’s fixture changed the tide of the season. What will be the fallout from this weekend’s encounter?