Italian coach Simone Inzaghi and Portuguese Jorge Jesus named the lineups for the Riyadh derby between Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
Al Hilal hosts their city rivals at the Kingdom Arena in the 15th round of the Saudi Pro League.
Inzaghi sticks with their Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez in the starting XI, replacing Brazilian Marcus Leonardo, supported by Malcom and captain Salem Al-Dosari.
The Italian coach also left his new signing Sultan Mandash on the bench after arriving from Al Taawoun, and did the same with Pablo Mari, who arrived from Fiorentina.
Al Hilal starting XI:
Goalkeeper: Mohammed Al-Rubaei. Defense: Hamad Al-Yami, Hassan Tombaketi, Muteb Al-Harbi, Theo Hernandez. Midfield: Serge Milinkovic-Savic, Robin Neves, Nasser Al-Dosari. Attack: Malcolm, Darwin Nunez, Salem Al-Dosari.
Al Nassr starting XI included a few familiar faces, with Mane’s absence noted due to AFCON duties and a focus on quality across the spine.
Goalkeeper: Nawaf Al-Qeidi. Defense: Nawaf Boushl, Mohammed Simakan, Inigo Martinez, Ayman Yahya.
Midfield: Angel, Marcelo Brozovic, Abdullah Al Khubri, Kingsley Coman. Attack: Joao Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The match is pivotal as Hilal sits top of the table with 35 points, four ahead of second-placed Nassr.
Note: Mane is with Senegal at AFCON; Angel is deployed on the wing while Brozovic and Al Khubri anchor the midfield for Nassr.
The biggest change for Hilal was the inclusion of French defender Mohammed Simekan in the starting lineup, after recovering from injury, replacing Abdulilah Al-Omari to partner Inigo Martinez at the back.
The Nassr XI:
Goalkeeper: Nawaf Al-Qaedi. Defense: Nawaf Boushl, Mohammed Simekan, Inigo Martinez, Ayman Yahya.
Midfield: Angelo, Marcelo Brozovic, Abdullah Al-Khibrri, Kingsley Coman.
Attack: Joao Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Two coaches, two plans, one city: this is the kind of derby that can redefine the Saudi Pro League standings.
As things stand, the match adds another layer to an already tight title race, with Hilal extending their advantage at the top of the table.
Sniper punchline 1: If precision were goals, these passes would earn a medal from the Bullseye Federation—and the goalie would still be wondering where the shot came from.
Sniper punchline 2: My football knowledge is so sharp, even the referee wears sunglasses to avoid the glare of my offside opinions.
