Taking to the field for the first time in 2024, Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal play host to MLS upstarts Inter Miami in Riyadh for a Riyadh Season Cup fixture on Monday night.
Jorge Jesus's men closed 2023 on an astonishing 20-game winning streak in all competitions, while the Herons have already failed to triumph in two exhibition fixtures this month.
As low attendances and player displeasure threaten to tarnish the image of the lucrative Saudi Pro League even further, Al-Hilal have purchased a one-way ticket to title glory and closed out the first half of the season with no defeats to report from 19 fixtures.
Barring a pair of stalemates with Damak and Al Fayha, each of Al-Hilal's other 17 Saudi Pro League fixtures since the start of the new term have ended in victory, allowing Jorge Jesus's side to establish an unassailable seven-point lead over fellow PIF-backed side Al-Nassr in first place.
Ripping the title out of a faltering Al-Ittihad's grasp is item number one on Jesus's agenda for the coming months, but Al-Hilal also have silverware to battle for in the King's Cup and AFC Champions League; Iran's Sepahan will be their opponents in the last 16 of the latter competition in February.
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