Al-Ittifaq vs Al-Hilal prediction, H2H and probable lineups — April 11, 2025
On April 11, 2025, at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, the 27th round of the Saudi Pro League will feature a clash between Al-Ittifaq and Al-Hilal. I propose a bet on the visitors' individual total in this encounter.
Al-Ittifaq
Al-Ittifaq is essentially out of the running for any significant achievements this season. The team is in 8th place in the standings, trailing the top 3 by 19 points, effectively ruling out any medal contention. They have a comfortable 13-point cushion above the relegation zone, and with 8 rounds remaining in the league, the likelihood of relegation is extremely low.
Last season, the club finished in 6th place, but to even match that result, they need to close a 10-point gap with Al-Shabab. Given their current form, the chances of such progress appear minimal.
In the last 6 rounds, the team has managed only one victory, losing half of their matches. Their home form is also concerning: in 12 matches at their own ground, Al-Ittifaq has collected just 9 points, one of the worst records in the league.
Al-Hilal
Al-Hilal heads into the upcoming match following a home defeat to one of their main rivals this season — Al-Nassr, with a score of 1-3. This result has significantly complicated their pursuit of the championship title. Currently, they trail the league leaders Al-Ittihad by 5 points. However, Al-Ittihad failed to win in the previous round, drawing their match and only slightly extending their lead by one point.
Before the recent loss to Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal was in impressive form, securing three consecutive clean-sheet victories. One of these triumphs was a 4-0 thrashing of Pakhtakor in the second leg of the AFC Champions League playoffs, ensuring a confident advance to the tournament's quarterfinals.
Now Jorge Jesus's squad faces a serious challenge against South Korea's Gwangju. Al-Hilal is ambitiously aiming for the trophy, especially considering last season's disappointment when they fell just short of the final, losing in the semifinals to the eventual champions, Al-Ain from the UAE.
Probable lineups
- Al-Ittifaq: Rodak, Abdulrahman, Hendry, Hindi, Al-Madani, Vitinho, Ali, Medran, Ekambi, Gray, Wijnaldum
- Al-Hilal: Bono, Al-Yami, Koulibaly, Al-Bulayhi, Renan Lodi, Neves, Kanno, Malcom, Milinkovic-Savic, Al-Dawsari, Mitrovic
Match facts and H2H
- In the last 8 home matches, Al-Ittifaq has kept a clean sheet only once.
- This season, Al-Hilal has failed to score in an away match only once — in the first leg against Pakhtakor, losing 0-1.
- In the first round of the championship, Al-Hilal confidently defeated Al-Ittifaq at home with a score of 3-1.
- Al-Hilal is comfortably the league's highest-scoring team, having netted 73 goals so far.
- In the last 5 head-to-head encounters at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium, Al-Hilal has won 4 times, with one match ending in a goalless draw. During this period, the hosts have managed to score only once.
Prediction
All key factors favor the visitors. Al-Hilal has strong tournament motivation, whereas Al-Ittifaq essentially has no real objectives for the remainder of the season. Considering the hosts' vulnerabilities and Al-Hilal's high offensive potential, it makes sense to focus on Jorge Jesus's team's scoring ability. The optimal choice in this situation is a bet on Al-Hilal's individual total over 2.0. The odds for this event are 1.62.
