Injury Cloud Looms as Hernandez Tees Up Al Hilal for Ettifaq Showdown
12 February 2026
Injury Cloud Looms Over Al Hilal
French left-back Theo Hernandez, who stars for Al Hilal, has put coach Simone Inzaghi in a tight spot ahead of Friday's meeting with Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League’s Round 22.
Impact and Standings
Al Hilal lead the table on 50 points, one clear of Al Nassr in second on 49, as they chase a win to keep their advantage.
The club confirmed on X that Hernandez is suffering from pain in the foot joint and did not join today’s group training, making his participation against Ettifaq doubtful.
In better news, left-back Mutab Al-Harbi returned to full training, offering a potential replacement option and some relief for Inzaghi.
Hernandez is one of Inzaghi’s main attacking outlets on the left, with his bursts and diagonal runs feeding the team’s threat.
Punchline: If Hernandez can't play, the left flank will be so wide you could park a bus there.
Punchline 2: The bench will get more minutes than the starters—welcome to rotation nation.
