Al-Hilal Names Bouabre for Al-Ittihad Clasico Clash

Al-Hilal will face Al-Ittihad on Saturday 10 October at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh in the eighth round of the Roshn League, with coach Simone Inzaghi preparing Simon Bouabre to replace injured midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Al-Hilal entered the match as league leaders with 18 points, while Al-Ittihad followed with 17 points, according to Goal. The result could affect the early standings between the two rivals.

According to livescore.com, Milinkovic-Savic missed the match after suffering an injury while on international duty with Serbia. Al-Hilal captain Salem Al-Dawsari was also unavailable for the Clasico.

Inzaghi selected Bouabre as a midfield option because the Italian coach wanted a player comfortable in attacking midfield roles, according to Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah as reported by livescore.com.

The decision represented a rare opportunity for the young French player, who had not been included in Al-Hilal's squad for the previous seven Roshn League matches this season, according to livescore.com.

Bouabre had made one appearance during the season before the Clasico, playing in Al-Hilal's 2-1 AFC Champions League Elite win over Al-Gharafa from Qatar in September, where he was substituted in the 66th minute.

Since joining Al-Hilal last January, the 20-year-old midfielder has featured in 12 matches, starting four and entering as a substitute in eight, with no goals or assists, according to livescore.com.

The match continued a rivalry that began in 1964, when Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad first competed directly for major domestic honors, according to Goal. Their title battles have continued across different competition eras.

Goal reported that the clubs have challenged each other for league supremacy across 12 seasons, including title races in 1985-1986, 1996-1997, 2001-2002, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2021-2022 and 2024-2025.

Al-Hilal also completed preparations at Almajdiah Sport Hub before the match, with training led by Inzaghi's technical staff featuring fitness exercises, technical drills and tactical work, according to the club's official website.

The training session included Al-Hilal players returning from Saudi Arabia national team duty after the Green Falcons won the Gulf 27 tournament, while Inzaghi was scheduled to hold a press conference at 6:00 PM on Friday before the fixture.