Al Ittihad and Al Hilal will meet on Saturday, 22 February, in the derby between the two top teams in the Saudi Pro League.
Will the hosts secure three points to create an even bigger advantage in the title race or will Al Hilal get the win and make the race as exciting as possible? Find out from our Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal prediction and preview right here.
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Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal prediction: An exciting duel with plenty of goals
Key Stats
- With 15 goals in the Saudi Pro League this season, Benzema is the second scorer in the league, one goal behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Al Ittihad are perfect at home this season with all 10 wins in the league, but Al Hilal have won seven of their last eight meetings with Al Ittihad.
- The last duel between these teams in the King Cup has ended in a draw, with Al Ittihad winning after penalties.
Correct score prediction: Al Ittihad 2-2 Al Hilal
While Al Hilal have been dominating Al Ittihad in H2H duels in the last couple of seasons, Al Ittihad have been fantastic this season and are currently four points ahead of the defending champions in the standings. All things considered, a high-scoring draw sounds like a realistic outcome for this game.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Al Hilal favoured by the bookies
- HOME: 15/8 (2.88) – 34.80%
- DRAW: 29/10 (3.90) – 25.60%
- AWAY: 6/5 (2.20) – 45.50%
*Odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
We can see from these Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal odds that the guests are the expected winners, although not by a huge margin.
This is a bit surprising considering Al Ittihad are ahead in the standings and hosting the game, but Al Hilal are the reigning champions and have just been too good against Al Ittihad lately that we can understand why the bookies favour them to win.
In any case, if you're looking for more of our reliable picks, check out these betting tips for today.
Most recent H2Hs: Al Hilal firmly in the lead
Al Hilal have beaten Al Ittihad seven times in a row before their last meeting in the quarter-finals of King Cup, which Al Ittihad won after a penalty shootout. In any case, the situation is quite similar when we look at their overall H2H record: 30-13-8 in favour of Al Hilal.
Saudi Arabia Cup 07/01/25
Al Hilal Riyadh
Al Ittihad Jeddah
Saudi Arabia Pro League 21/09/24
Al Hilal Riyadh
Al Ittihad Jeddah
Saudi Arabia Pro League 19/09/24
Al Hilal Riyadh
Al Ittihad Jeddah
Saudi Arabia Cup 30/04/24
Al Ittihad Jeddah
Al Hilal Riyadh
Saudi Arabia Super Cup 11/04/24
Al Ittihad Jeddah
Al Hilal Riyadh
Al Ittihad preview: Can they keep the distance at the top?
With 17 wins in 20 games in the Saudi Pro League so far, Al Ittihad have been flying high and are currently four points ahead of the defending champions and their next opponent Al Hilal. In addition to this, they have been the team to eliminate Al Hilal from the Saudi Cup and prevent them from defending that trophy as well. All things considered, Al Ittihad can feel good heading into this massive match.
Meanwhile, Mario Mitaj and Ahmed Mohammed Sharahili are on Al Ittihad's injury list.
Predicted lineup: Rajkovic (GK), Shanqeeti, Al-Mousa, Pereira, Kadesh, Kante, Fabinho, Diaby, Aouar, Bergwijn & Benzema
Saudi Arabia Pro League 10/04/25
W
Al Orubah
0
Al Ittihad Jeddah
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 05/04/25
D
Al Ahli Jeddah
2
Al Ittihad Jeddah
2
Saudi Arabia Cup 01/04/25
W
Al Shabab Riyadh
2
Al Ittihad Jeddah
3
Saudi Arabia Pro League 13/03/25
W
Al Riyadh
1
Al Ittihad Jeddah
2
Saudi Arabia Pro League 06/03/25
D
Al Qadisiya Al Khubar
1
Al Ittihad Jeddah
1
Al Hilal preview: A must-win game for the champions?
With Al Hilal currently four points behind Al Ittihad, a loss in their upcoming duel could very well mean saying goodbye to defending their title, even though there's nearly half of the season left in the Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal certainly have reasons to worry heading into this game having only won once in their last four league matches.
On top of this, Aleksandar Mitrovic is still questionable after being out since January, while Renan Lodi is also doubtful.
Predicted lineup: Bono (GK), Cancelo, Koulibaly, Tambakti, Al-Harbi, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Cesar, Malcom, Al-Dawsari & Leonardo
Saudi Arabia Pro League 11/04/25
D
Al Ittifaq Dammam
1
Al Hilal Riyadh
1
Saudi Arabia Pro League 04/04/25
L
Al-Nassr Riyadh
3
Al Hilal Riyadh
1
Saudi Arabia Pro League 15/03/25
W
Al Taawon Buraidah
0
Al Hilal Riyadh
2
AFC Champions League Elite 11/03/25
W
Pakhtakor Tashkent
0
Al Hilal Riyadh
4
Saudi Arabia Pro League 07/03/25
W
Al Fayha
0
Al Hilal Riyadh
2
Player to watch: Karim Benzema
As we mentioned above when suggesting backing Benzema to score in this game, the former Ballon d'Or winner has been successful in duels with Al Hilal, at least when it comes to scoring, with five goals in five matches against them.
Furthermore, Benzema is the second-leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League this season with 15 goals, to which he also added seven assists, so keep an eye on him in this star-studded duel between two top teams in the league.