Battle in the last breath Title hung between tigers and chief Calculations complicate al-Ahly’s mission to break a historical impasse

There is no alternative to victory: Al Ittihad must beat their guest Al Bateen and at the same time wait for Al Hilal to lose or draw to win the title for the first time in 12 years and the eighth time in its history. Al Ittihad rebounded after three consecutive matches in which they scored only an orphan point and then lost the lead, but kept their chances of a title challenge after defeating Al Attifaq 3-1 in the last stage. Al Ittihad is not using the services of their Portuguese player Andre Felipe due to suspension, but they have outstanding names in all lines such as the Egyptian Ahmed Hegazi, the Brazilian quad Marcelo Groe, Bruno Enrique, Cornado and Romarinho who are fighting for the title . top scorer title. Romanian coach Cosmin Contra said his team was desperate for a win “after poor results due to league matches being postponed more than once”. He added: “We played four matches in three and a half months and it’s not easy, especially since the team has lost its competitive style. However, we will try to capture the title in the last round.” the results of his persecutors. The curtain falls on the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Pro Cup, with the final thirty matches tonight, Monday, which will determine the identity of the champion, after the last breath was capped off by Al-Hilal, the leader and runner. up Al Ittihad while a battle raged between several clubs to avoid relegation. Competitions have been suspended for approximately 25 days due to the gathering of the national team in Spain in preparation for the World Cup final later this year in Qatar and the title-winning AFC U-23 Cup Olympic team. before it resumed last week. Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are tied on points (64) at the top of the standings, but Al-Hilal outperforms Al-Ittihad with two direct matches (Fawzan), so both teams understand that any a stumble would ruin their hopes of achieving the title. Al Ahli are looking to avoid an inevitable relegation when they face host side Al Shabaab in a match that will be widely publicized as it decides the fate of one of the pillars of Saudi football who has not previously been relegated to the first division. Al-Ahly, the 2016 champion, dropped to fourteenth place with 31 points, while Al-Shabab came in fourth with 54 points. Al Ittifaq are in penultimate position with 31 points, having not lost a league game to their seventh host, Al Fayhaa Seventh (35), for three points and a lifeline. Al-Faihaa, the King’s Cup champion, managed to come back from Abha with a draw in the last stage, enough to keep him out and he will look to secure his first win after four matches. Ninth Al Tayeh with 34 points is looking for one point to ensure survival when he faces Al Hazm, bottom lane and first descendants (17 points) at Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi Stadium in Ha’il. The tenth collaboration (33 points) aims for three points when he meets his master Dhamk the Fifth (43) at the city’s Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Mahalla. Al Taawun continued their late awakening and forced a 1-1 draw on Al Shabaan in the final stage after beating Al Bateen and Al Fayhaa. Al Raed is looking forward to meeting Abha to tighten his grip on his destiny as he is in twelfth place with 33 points while Abha is in eighth place with 35 points. Al-Raed increased his chances of staying after playing an important match against Al-Ahly in Jeddah and crowned his efforts with three goals in the final matchday. For his part, the guarantor of victory for third place (58 points) aims to finish the season with a winning score when he takes on the sixth Al Fateh (35) in a match that will not affect both teams. Complicated calculations Al-Hilal aims to celebrate with its fans the third league title in a row and the eighteenth in its history when it hosts Al-Faisaly at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, in a match that will not go without excitement from – for its importance in the world. from the desire of each team to score three points, despite the difference in goals and ambitions. Al-Hilal, the record holder for the most times to win a league title, must win any score to seal the title, while Al-Faisali is looking to snatch points and decide to stay without waiting for the results of the rest of his competitors. Al-Hilal continued their winning streak in the last period with a fifth straight win and a great run at Al-Fateh 3-0 on the last matchday and are looking to score three points to formally settle the title in their favour, without taking into account the result of his direct pursuit and the runner-up Al-Ittihad, with whom he has an equal number of points. Argentine coach Ramon Diaz is missing two defenders, Ali Al Bulaikhi, Korean Jang Hyun-soo and Colombian midfielder Gustavo Cuellar, who is suspended to join the list of injured players. Dias said at a press conference after the victory over Al Fateh: “We have a group of players who deserve the championship and we have one last step left, so we will fight hard and not miss our chance to win.” title”. He continued: “I’m warning the players because the odds are even for Al Ittihad, but everything is in our hands and we know that in the end we achieve what we want and make the Al Hilal fans happy.” Al Faisali, who is in danger of relegation, is in 11th place with 33 points, two points ahead of the first eliminated, is looking to win to ensure survival, especially since he is playing the match with a full squad, and a loss or a draw will keep him waiting the results of the rest of his competitors to find out his fate.