Simone Inzaghi, the coach of Al Hilal Saudi Arabia, stated that his team's participation in the Club World Cup affected the preparations of the leader for the new season.

Al Hilal currently occupies the seventh position in the league table with 5 points after 3 rounds of the competition.

Inzaghi said in statements to reporters: "We play every match to deliver the best level and result, and when discussing the last league match against Al Ahli Jeddah, we had a great 79 minutes, and we should focus on the positives, not just the negatives."

He emphasized: "We must admit that our participation in the Club World Cup reduced our preparations, but we should not make excuses; the most important thing is to work and deal with all circumstances."

Al Hilal had exited the Club World Cup competition in the quarter-finals at the hands of Brazilian Fluminense.