Al-Hilal vs Al-Riyadh Prediction: Hilal faces an underdog in their season opener

Al-Hilal vs Al-Riyadh: Prediction and odds on the Match on 29 August 2025

Al-Hilal launch their 2025-26 Saudi Pro League campaign at the Kingdom Arena against Al-Riyadh, looking to reclaim the title they lost to Al-Ittihad last season. The Blue Waves, who finished second in 2024-25 with 23 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses, scoring 95 goals and conceding 41. Al-Riyadh narrowly escaped relegation by just 5 points after a hard-fought season where they struggled all through. Riyadh stunned Al-Hilal with a 1-1 draw at this venue in February 2025, and they might not get a chance to recreate that experience, not with Al-Hilal’s current star-strudded team. The prediction here is a win for Al-Hilal, and a total of over 2.5 goals scored. Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available. 

Al-Hilal: form and statistics

Al-Hilal lost the league title to Al-Ittihad last season; they’d have hoped to retain their league title, but Al-Ittihad emerged as champions. Hilal finished in second place with 8 points behind champions Al-Ittihad, with 23 wins,6 draws, and 5 losses from 34 league games played. Hilal participated in the FIFA Club World Cup, where they were knocked out by Fluminense in the quarterfinals. 

Aleksander Mitrovic finished as the top scorer for Hilal with 18 goals to his name this season, followed by Marcos Leonardo with 17 goals. They are second placed in the league table with 22 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses from 33 games. Hilal is also the team with the highest goals scored in the league this season, with 95 goals to their credit. 

Hilal has added several new players to their squad, with Darwin Nunez joining all the way from Liverpool to fortify their squad. Hilal will be aiming to reclaim their lost glory this season.

Al-Hilal: Possible Lineup

Al-Hilal: Possible Lineup

Al-Hilal has been in the market for new players, and they’ve acquired quite a few players from top teams this season. Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool to fortify the team's attack. Theo Hernandez also joined from AC Milan. Inzaghi will have had an impressive run so far with the Saudi club, and he will officially coach his first Saudi Pro League game on Friday against Riyadh. He will definitely be aiming to kickstart the new season on a good note. 

Player to watch out for: Leonardo

The 21-year-old Brazilian striker scored 17 goals for Al-Hilal in the league last season, and he is well prepared for another masterclass alongside Darwin Nunez. 

🔖 Al-Hilal Probable starting lineup (4-2-3-1)

Bono – Cancelo, Koulibaly, Hernandez, Lodi – Neves, Milinkovic-Savic – Malcom, Al-Dawsari, N. Al-Dawsari – Leonardo

👤 Head coach: Simeone Inzaghi 

Al-Riyadh: form and statistics

The job for Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League last season was simple: escape relegation. They had a better run in the Saudi Pro League last season as they finished currently 11th place, as against 23/24’s 14th place finish. However, they might suffer a bad start to the new season as they face off against one of the toughest teams to play against in the Saudi Pro League. We are hoping to see an improved Al-Riyadh side compete in the Saudi Pro League this season, but a victory against an Al-Hilal side might be an impossible ask. 

Al-Riyadh: Possible Lineup

Javier Calleja is not moving away from the usual 4-5-1 formation, with Mensah leading the attack and other attackers spread evenly on the flanks and center. 

🔖 Al-Riyadh Probable starting lineup (4-5-1)

Milan Borjan– Al-Hawsawi, Barbet, Lukas Kal, Ali-Alnwaiqi – Ibrahim Bayesh, Faiz Selemani, Shehri, Zidan, Toze,– Mensah

👤 Head coach: Javier Calleja 

Al-Hilal vs Al-Riyadh: Head-to-head statistics

Al-Hilal dominates with 3 wins in their last 4 meetings. Al-Hilal’s home dominance is a strong record here, and they stand as the best team to win this game. 

Al-Hilal vs Al-Riyadh: Betting Tips & Odds

• No losses for Al-Hilal in their last three meetings, and the bet on Al-Hilal to win or draw this game is offered on the 1xBet bookmaker website for odds of 1.09 odds;
• Some Betway experts believe that Hilal will dominate and goals will flow, and the option for a total of over 3.5 goals is offered on the Betway bookmaker website for 1.60 odds;
• The odds for Al-Riyadh to score a goal is pegged at 1.80 odds on the 1xbet bookmaker website;

Al-Hilal vs Al-Riyadh match prediction 29 August 2025

Al-Hilal are set to launch their new campaign in style, with the Kingdom Arena crowd ready to cheer them on. The Blue Waves have strengthened even further with big arrivals like Núñez and Hernández, and the expectation is nothing short of dominance. History is firmly on their side, too: Al-Hilal remain unbeaten against Al-Riyadh, and they’ve made a habit of scoring freely against Al-Riyadh.

Three of their last four meetings have seen over 2.5 goals, and with the firepower Hilal boasts this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them get more than three goals at the Kingdom Arena. Our prediction: a commanding Al-Hilal win and over 3.5 total goals.

Our match prediction: is a win for Al-Hilal and a total of over 3.5 goals for a coefficient of 1.71 in the 1xBet bookmaker.

Our betting tip on the match: is a first half total of over 1.5 goals for a coefficient of 1.78 in the Betway bookmaker.

Lastly: A total of over 9.5 corners for 1.62 odds in the Bet365 bookmaker.