Al Riyadh haunt Al Ittihad: Can Fisic break Al-Hilal's resilience?

Attention turns to the Kingdom Arena this Saturday evening as Al-Hilal, led by Italian Simone Inzaghi, hosts rivals Al Ittihad under German Jens Wissing in the eighth round of the Saudi Pro League.

Statistics from the matches between the two teams in Al Riyadh since the launch of the Saudi Pro League in the 2008-2009 season reveal a clear dominance for Al-Hilal, who have achieved 9 victories compared to 3 for Al Riyadh, while 6 matches ended in a draw. The blue team has scored 36 goals compared to 19.

Al-Hilal recorded heavy victories in their encounters, including a 5-0 win in the 2009-2010 season, followed by a 5-2 victory in the 2013-2014 season. Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad managed to achieve two consecutive wins in the capital during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.

The last time Ittihad won in Riyadh was on October 28, 2016, when they triumphed with a goal to nil. Since then, the team has faced Al-Hilal 9 times in the capital, losing 5 of those matches and drawing 4.

Al-Hilal had secured a 3-1 victory in the encounter two seasons ago, while last season's clásico ended in a 1-1 draw. The matchup renews with questions surrounding Vissing's ability to end the Federal curse and break Al-Hilal's dominance in Riyadh.