The Saudi scriptwriters have made it happen again. Yet another tournament finale that hosts the headline Riyadh derby between Al Nassr and Al Hilal. If Al Hilal wins again on Saturday’s Saudi Super Cup final, the Riyadh Derby would be a rather dull and obvious affair if it is not already. Having scored and powered Al Nassr’s win in the Super Cup semi-final against Al Taawoun, Cristiano Ronaldo would be keen on bucking this losing trend against Al Hilal. But it seems, Ronaldo has to continue waiting to face his former rival Neymar in the already high-octane Riyadh derbies.

While Al Nassr claimed a comfortable 2-0 win against Al Taawoun, Al Hilal came close to the Super Cup exit in Neymar’s absence. Thanks to Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 90th-minute strike, the game went to penalties, and Al Hilal ousted Al Ahli Saudi in the semi-final. Now, let’s dive deeper into more news about both teams and see where you could catch the headline clash live.

Al Nassr vs Al Hilal, injury and suspensions

Al Nassr’s squad is free of any injuries. After missing half of last season due to a thigh muscle injury, striker Anderson Talisca returned to the Riyadh side’s camp during the pre-season. Also, Al Nassr’s Marcelo Brozovic picked a red card in the semi-final and hence remains suspended in the Al Hilal tie.

Al Hilal, on the other hand, is yet to remove their MVP, Neymar from their injury list. Neymar is still recovering from his broken ACL and the Al Hilal coach Luis Castro thinks he will only be back in September. Besides, that Al Hilal is free of any suspensions unlike their rivals, Al Nassr.

Latest update Cristiano Ronaldo’s availability for the Al Hilal game

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start for Al Nassr in the Suadi Super Cup finale. He skipped the club’s pre-season campaign for a vacation and rejoined the team for the semi-final against Al Taawoun, as a recharged and rejuvenated striker. He drove the last nail in Al Taawoun’s coffin last night, scoring in the 57th minute. Notably, Ronaldo became the first player to score in 23 consecutive seasons with that strike. Since the Al Hilal game is a couple of days away, Ronaldo has ample time to rejuvenate and will definitely defend his side’s crest against Hilal.

Al Nassr vs Al Hilal: expected lineups

Al Nassr[4-2-3-1]: Bento; Sultan Al Ghannam, Aymeric Laporte, Ali Lajami, Alex Telles; Mukhtar Ali, Al-Khaibari; Aymen Yahya, Otavio, Sadio Mane; Cristiano Ronaldo.

Al Hilal[4-2-3-1]: Yassine Bono; Hamad Al Yami, Hassan Tambakti, Khalifa Al-Dawsari, Renan Lodi; Nasser Al-Dawsari, Ruben Neves; Michel, Sergei Miliknovic Savic, Sale Al-Dawsari; Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Al Nassr vs Al Hilal H2H

The yellow team and the blue team have faced each other on 28 occasions. Al Hilal boasts a significant advantage with 14 wins to Al Nassr’s eight. Six Riyadh derbies ended in a draw as well. Al Hilal, notably, is unbeaten in the last 13 matches. Al Nassr is unbeaten in the last seven home matches. Indeed, a tight clash awaits all of us.

Riyadh derby predictions

We expect the game to end as a draw and later lead to penalties. During the spot-kicks, we think Al Hilal would again have the better of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co., beating them 4-3.

Where to watch the Riyadh derby?

The Riyadh derby kicks off at 12:15 PM ET on Saturday in the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha. Fans can watch the game live on TV in Fox Deportes. They can also live stream the Saudi Super Cup finale on the Fubo app.

Sound off your predictions for the headline game in the comments below.