Ahead of the clásico: What has Bounou done in 6 previous encounters against Ittihad?

Al-Hilal are set to face Al-Ittihad on Saturday in the 8th round of the Saudi Pro League, with a special challenge awaiting Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who is looking to improve his record against 'the Tigers' and keep a clean sheet for the second time.

Statistics reveal that Bounou has only kept a clean sheet once in six matches against Al-Ittihad across various competitions, placing the international goalkeeper under a new challenge to reduce the attacking danger posed by his rivals.

The goalkeeper of Al-Hilal has a clean sheet success rate of only 16.7% against Al-Ittihad, and he hopes to raise this percentage during the upcoming clásico by stopping the opponent's attempts and shutting down their key attacking players.

The match gains additional importance as the two teams are close in the standings, with Al-Hilal entering the encounter with 18 points after achieving six victories and suffering one defeat in the first seven rounds, while Ittihad has 17 points collected from five wins and two draws, with no defeats.

The result of the clásico has a direct impact on the title race; a win for Al-Hilal would raise their tally to 21 points and extend the gap with Ittihad to four points, while a draw would leave Al-Hilal on 19 points compared to 18 for Ittihad. Meanwhile, a victory for the 'Amid' would take them to 20 points against 18 for Al-Hilal, putting them two points ahead.