Al Hilal vs Al Nassr prediction 01.12.2023

• Competition: Saudi Professional League
• Date: Friday, 1st December 2023
• Kickoff: 18:00 UK / 19:00 CET
• Venue: King Fahd International Stadium (Riyadh)

On Friday evening, the 187th Riyadh derby will take place between Al Hilal and Al Nassr - two teams that invested massive amounts of money to assemble these outstanding teams. 

Al Hilal have the most trophies in Saudi Arabia and are one of the biggest (if not the biggest) clubs in Saudi Arabia. Last season, they were not too successful, as they finished 3rd in the league and "only" won the King Cup. Over the Summer, they added top high-profile players from the best European teams and are doing great in all competitions. They hold the top spot in the domestic league, four points away from the 2nd-placed Al Nassr.

With the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo, we can safely say that Al Nassr changed the football world. Unfortunately for them, they finished the last season without a trophy, but after adding more great players, they managed to win the Arab Club Champions Cup by beating Al Hilal 2:1 after extra time. Although it is still early, it seems that this season could be decided by h2h games between these two teams, considering they already have a significant advantage over the rest of the league. 

Al Hilal vs Al Nassr pick: Over 3.5 goals

Al Hilal have been simply incredible, winning 13 games in a row. Offensively, they are superb as they scored 43 goals in 14 league games - 3.07 per game. Even though many people expected their goalscoring average to drop when Neymar got hurt, that has not been the case, as they continued to torment opposing defenses, scoring at least two goals in the past eight consecutive games. Defensively, they have been exceptional, with six clean sheets in a row. However, that defensive record is a bit deceiving because they did not face too strong competition.

Al Nassr had a rocky start in the domestic league, losing the first two games, but since then, they have been spectacular in all competitions as they are on a 20-game-unbeaten run. As expected, the offense has been fantastic with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mane, Otavio, and Talisca. In recent four games, they have scored three goals per game on three occasions. Their only failure to score came against Persepolis when Ali Lajami was sent off early. Defensively, they were solid in the domestic league, but we saw some big flaws in games against solid teams. For example, in the AFC Champions League vs Al Duhail, Al Nassr really struggled as they allowed five goals in two games and could easily concede at least a couple more. 

Considering both team's offensive potential, exceptional form, and especially goalscoring form, we expect an exciting game with four or more goals, most likely with both teams scoring.