Portuguese coach Jose Gomes of Al-Fateh revealed a real crisis facing his team before the difficult confrontation against Al-Hilal, within the ninth round of the Roshn Saudi Professional League on Saturday, November 22.

Gomes explained during the press conference that the team is missing influential players in the defensive line, noting that their absence places him in a complex position before clashing with the league leader and the strongest performing team this season.

The Al-Fateh coach pointed out that winning against Al-Hilal is a "highly complicated task," affirming that his opponent is characterized by strong organization and high offensive and defensive capabilities, which requires full readiness from his players across all lines.

Gomes indicated that his team has conceded 19 goals in only 8 matches, a high rate that pushed the technical staff to focus on reinforcing defensive cohesion, especially with the continued absence of backline players.

He added that academy players are currently participating on a daily basis to compensate for the shortage, stressing the necessity of exploiting any spaces that may appear in Al-Hilal's defense and working collectively to improve defensive organization.

Gomes spoke about Marwan Saadan's absence due to card accumulation along with other injuries, confirming that the technical staff is working to find suitable alternatives, recalling last season's experience when he took over the team with only 9 points and succeeded in staying up thanks to spirit and determination.

Al-Fateh currently sits in fifth place in the standings with only 5 points achieved from one win and two draws against five losses, in a series of results that made the confrontation with Al-Hilal even more difficult for the model team.