FIFA Club World Cup: Al-Hilal scouting report | OneFootball

Everything you need to know about City’s Round of 16 opponents at the FIFA Club World Cup…

We face Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando at 02:00 (UK) on Tuesday 1 July for a place in the quarter-finals.

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Here we’ll go into detail about what to expect from Simone Inzaghi’s team…

Group stage results

Al-Hilal finished second in Group H with five points from their three matches.

They began with the trickiest assignment in their four-team mini-league, up against Real Madrid. While they went behind after 34 minutes, they responded very quickly by earning and converting a penalty before the break.

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That was the end of the scoring in that one, although Al-Hilal had opportunities to take all three points. There were no goals in the tie with RB Salzburg either, despite their best efforts.

A 2-0 victory over Pachuca in the final game of the group stage earned them their place here.

2024/25 form

The 21-time champions finished second in the Saudi Pro League in 2024/25, claiming 75 points from 34 games – eight fewer than the winners Al-Ittihad.

They made the quarter-finals of the King’s Cup – Saudi’s premier domestic knockout competition - and last four of the AFC Champions League.

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As with the European teams, Al-Hilal have arrived at this tournament at the end of a long domestic and continental season.

Manager

Simone Inzaghi is Al-Hilal’s brand new manager, arriving early in June – just days after losing the Champions League final as Inter boss.

He is one of the most highly regarded bosses in the world, having led the Nerazzurri to one Serie A title, two Coppa Italias, three Supercoppas and two Champions League finals.

City fans will remember him as the opponent in perhaps our greatest ever night – when we beat Inter in the 2023 Champions League final in Istanbul.

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The 49-year-old has previously managed Lazio, where he spent 11 years as a player between 1999 and 2010 too.

Key players

The first name that jumps off the page for City fans will be our former full-back Joao Cancelo.

The Portuguese star played 154 times for City between 2019 and 2023 and gained a reputation as an attacking threat from deep.

WATCH: Watch: Best of Joao Cancelo’s City career

He’s just one of many players with experience of European club football, including ex-Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.

Sergej-Milinkovic Savic, Renan Lodi, Malcom and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou are all part of the squad in the USA, while striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is injured.