Al Ahli v Al Hilal: How wing battle is central to deciding crunch clash | OneFootball

There is so much to look forward to in this week’s heavyweight clash between Al Ahli and Al Hilal.

After respective draws last time out, against Al Ettifaq and Al Qadsiah, both will be keen to get back into the winners’ circle to push their claims for silverware this season.

And, in Darwin Nunez and Ivan Toney, both also feature elite-level striking talent capable of turning the game in a moment.

But there’s another battle, between some of the league’s best defensive talent and their attacking counterparts, that shapes as one of the most decisive of the fixture.

Al Hilal’s full-backs on the night, Theo Hernandez and presumably Hamad Al Yami - first-choice right-back, Joao Cancelo, is injured - will go head-to-head against Al Ahli’s pair of dynamic wingers, Riyad Mahrez and Galeno, in what is sure to be a mouthwatering personal clash.

Each confrontation on its own is worth the price of admission, but put them together - Mahrez versus Hernandez on the attacking right, and Galeno versus Al Yami on the opposite side - and it’s absolute box-office gold.

While, principally, it is winger against full-back, so offensive is Hernandez in particular that he almost plays as an attacking wideman on the pitch, with Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi sure to push Al Yami forward, too.

Yet, looking at Hernandez's debut in the RSL in last weekend's thrilling 2-2 draw with Al Qadsiah, his numbers after a solitary appearance almost match the output of Mahrez after two.

And that’s not a knock on Al Ahli’s dazzling winger, who has consistently been one of the league’s best attacking talents since landing in the Kingdom more than two years ago. It simply highlights the influence of the full-backs on Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi’s 4-1-4-1 system.

After that single match in blue, Hernandez has created as many big chances (one), had almost as many passes (47 to 52) and also two shot assists compared to four for Mahrez.

It's for that reason the French international is considered one of the headline signings of the summer having arrived following six seasons with AC Milan.

On the other side of the pitch, it would've been a very similar story had Cancelo been going up against Galeno on Al Ahli’s left, but given Al Yami's made only two late-substitute appearances in the RSL thus far this term, that skirmish represents somewhat more of an unknown.

Clearly, though, full-backs perform an incredibly important function in Inzaghi’s attack at Al Hilal, and means Mahrez and Galeno will need to be mindful of their own defensive duties to nullify their opponents' impact on the clash in Jeddah.

The last time these two sides met, in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite in May, it was Al Ahli who prevailed 3-1 on a famous night for the white-and-green.

But importantly, not only was Hernandez not at Al Hilal back then, Cancelo was also injured for that game when Mahrez and Galeno ran riot.

Even at this embryonic stage of the new RSL campaign, neither club – Al Hilal were runners-up last term, while Al Ahli were fifth – can afford to cede any ground to their title rivals.

It’s what makes this Friday’s match such a salivating prospect; even without Cancelo and the serious talent all round, the wings feel where this contest could well be won and lost.