Back in February when Al-Ittihad were 16 points clear of Al-Hilal, not even the most optimistic fans of the team from Riyadh and their most pessimistic counterparts in Jeddah would have imagined that there would be a genuine title race, let alone a battle that had them neck and neck with two games to go.
Not only has that scenario become reality, but the trophy is very much in the court of the defending champions. If Al-Hilal take six points against Al-Fateh on Thursday and then Al-Faisaly next Monday, then they will finish first regardless of how Al-Ittihad fare against Al-Ettifaq and Al-Batin.
It could be decided sooner. If Al-Hilal win the penultimate game and the Tigers lose to Al-Ettifaq (the two games take place at the same time on Thursday), then the Blues will be champions for the 18th time on Thursday. Both teams have 61 points from 28 games, but if they finish level, goal difference will not come into it. League rules state that head-to-head results come first, and that means that Al-Hilal are champions as they beat their rivals in March and then again in May.
Those two results have gone a long way to giving neutrals a title race to get excited about, but there is more to it than that. Ramon Diaz took over from Leonardo Jardim in February and while fans may not have been thrilled at the return of the Argentine, he and the team embarked on a quite remarkable run of 11 wins from the next 12 league games. With Al-Ittihad taking just seven points from the last six, it is not hard to see why it has become so tight.
Al-Hilal deserve plenty of plaudits. Despite the punishing commitments of the FIFA Club World Cup and the Asian Champions League, they are now in pole position. It was thought that Al-Ittihad would have the advantage with just 16 games to play this year compared to their rival’s 27, but it has not worked out what way.
Both teams have had a break since the last league action at the end of May, and both should be close to full strength, barring the long-term injuries Al-Hilal have with striker Saleh Al-Shehri and midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki. Playmaker Matheus Pereira, captain Salman Al-Faraj and defensive lynchpin Jang Hyun-soo are fit to face Al-Fateh. The South Korean will have to handle Firas Al-Buraikan, one of the stars of the victorious U-23 team that lifted the Asian Cup on Sunday.
