Al-Hilal host Shabab Al-Ahli as both sides seek to maintain their momentum

Al-Hilal host Shabab Al-Ahli at Kingdom Arena on Tuesday in the fourth round of the AFC Champions League’s single-group fixtures. Kick-off is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. in Doha and Saudi Arabia, and 10:15 p.m. in the Emirates. The meeting brings together an Emirati side keen to keep its momentum going and a Saudi club looking to respond after its previous continental outing.

Shabab Al-Ahli have won three consecutive matches in the competition for the first time and are hoping to extend that run, Al Jazeera Arabic reports. They sit second in the standings. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, are looking to recover from a 1-3 defeat to Qatar’s Al-Shamal in the previous round. The immediate challenge is to get back to winning ways while preventing the visitors from continuing their perfect continental run.

The fixture also follows a notable domestic result for the Emirati team. On 17 October, it beat Al-Ain 2-0 in the UAE league. The victory ended Al-Ain’s unbeaten run and strengthened the Emirati side’s position in the domestic competition. It provides a positive reference point before a demanding away match, but Al-Hilal’s task is clear: respond on the pitch after their continental setback.

Simone Inzaghi described the opposition as difficult and Shabab Al-Ahli as a quality side. The Al-Hilal coach said his players would need to produce a major performance and give everything. He also defended his team’s level: “After a year and a half in charge of Al-Hilal, the team is playing strongly at the moment, as its figures show. It is the best in attack and defence, and we work every day to improve.”

The line-up will depend on assessments after training. Inzaghi said Gabriel Martinelli was injured, while Rúben Neves, Crysencio Summerville and Salem Al-Dawsari had physical problems. “We will see how they are after training,” he said. The starting choices would also wait until the session was over: “I have several options for the starting XI, and I will choose who plays after today’s training.”

The closely spaced schedule is part of his thinking too. “We play matches close together, and it is not easy, but we are Al-Hilal and we always try to avoid players getting injured,” Inzaghi said. He also urged supporters to back the team, recalling that the crowd had played an important role in victories. Against a side pursuing a fourth straight continental win, Al-Hilal’s response and the decisions made after training will shape the build-up to the match.