Saudi Pro League | Gameweek 31

May 12, 2025 at 5.05pm UK

Kingdom Arena

Al-Hilal vs Al Orubah

Match preview

Just when Al-Hilal believed that they would enter the final four games of their title defence with only a four-point gap between them and league leaders Al-Ittihad, their hopes were dealt a blow when Houssem Aouar scored the winner in the 94^(th) minute of the top club's 3-2 victory over Al-Nassr last week.

Trailing 2-0, Al-Ittihad powered back with three second-half strikes to claim their first away victory since mid-February. This result puts them closer to the league crown and further away from the defending champions, who now need to win all their remaining games and hope for favours from other clubs if they are to secure consecutive titles.

In his first game since replacing Jorge Jesus, temporary boss Mohammad Al-Shalhoub witnessed his team claim a 5-3 victory against bottom-placed Al Raed, temporarily closing the gap to three points before Al Ittihad's remarkable turnaround.

Despite the close scoreline, Blue Power were never in danger of dropping points, having led 2–1, 4–1 and 5–2 in their 20^(th) triumph of the season.

These goals brought the second-placed team's total to 84 for the season, significantly surpassing Al Ittihad's 66. However, the Boss have conceded 37 goals, seven more than the league leaders.

Their tendency to concede has been highlighted by their recent home results, with two or more goals conceded in three out of four games in front of their supporters. They lost to Al-Ahli (3–2) and Al-Nassr (3–1), and drew 2–2 with Al Shabab. Their only success during this period came from a 3–0 win over Al Khaleej.

Al Ittihad are playing first in Gameweek 31, so Al-Shalhoub may enter his second fixture in temporary charge with the Blue Waves nine points adrift. This increases the pressure to secure maximum points in Monday's encounter.

Al Oruba, on 30 points, are hoping to capitalise on Al-Hilal's jitters. They have slipped into the bottom three before their trip to Riyadh, after Al Wahda defeated Al Fateh 1-0 on Saturday.

With Damac in 15th place set to take on bottom-of-the-table Al Raed on Sunday, the team in 16th place could go into their match against the defending champions just four points from safety, provided the team directly above them beat the league's bottom side.

With relegation now appearing likely after this term's promotion, the visitors must build on their latest result — a 4-2 away win against Al Riyadh under new boss Antonio Cazorla at the start of the month — if they are to stand any chance against the defending champions.

The victory on 1 May was the Sakakah-based club's first win since they stunned Al-Nassr 2-1 on 28 February. This result was followed by former boss Adnan Hamad suffering five consecutive losses, before a 2-2 draw against Al Fayha in late April. The team failed to score in four of those defeats.

Having scored six goals in two games and accumulated four points during this period, Al Oruba, under new management, now aim to go three games unbeaten for the second time this season, following a successful run in September when they secured 1-0 victories over Al Fateh and Damac, after an exciting 3-3 draw at Al Kholood.

Failing to do so could see the club with the joint-worst defence (61 goals conceded) end the 31^(st) gameweek in the bottom three, despite being fully aware of this possibility at the start of the round.

Recent Performance

Al-Hilal Saudi Pro League form:WLDWDW

Al-Hilal form (all competitions):DWDWLW

Al Orubah Saudi Pro League form:LLLLDW

Team News

Yasir Al-Shahrani's early withdrawal from the Al Raed lineup leaves the hosts short of right-backs, with the Saudi defender potentially joining Joao Cancelo on the sidelines. This could see Hamad Al Yami start in his place.

The home side's leading goalscorer, Marcos Leonardo, has been absent for personal reasons and the 17-goal forward may be absent on Monday too.

Nevertheless, the manager can rely on Aleksandar Mitrović and Salem Al-Dawsari, who have scored 15 and 13 goals respectively, to exploit the league's worst defence. Al-Dawsari will enter gameweek 31 fresh from last week's hat-trick in the 5–3 win against Al Raed.

Mohannad Abu Taha will be evaluated after sustaining an apparent injury over a week ago against Al Riyadh, though his withdrawal may have been precautionary.

However, Jean Michael Seri, who has not played since October 2023, remains absent due to a long-term injury.

Omar Al Somah scored a hat-trick for Al Oruba in their 4-2 win over Al Riyadh at the start of May, and the 10-goal forward will be looking to contribute more for the side threatened with relegation.

Possible starting lineup

Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:

Bono; Al Yami, Tambakti, Koulibaly, Lodi; Kanno, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic; Malcom, Mitrovic, Al-Dawsari

Al Orubah possible starting lineup:

Coucke; Al-Maghati, Kandouss, Zouma, Al-Zubaidi; Al-Qarni, Muhar; Gudmundsson, Tello, Taha; Al-Somah