Will Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté end up empty-handed for their first season in Saudi Arabia? This is what is at stake in the semi-final of the King of Champions Cup this Tuesday evening, during which Al-Ittihad, the club of the two Frenchmen, receives Al-Hilal, the current leader of the championship, led by the former Bordeaux player Malcolm.
If it was recently eliminated from the Champions League by the Emiratis of Al-Aïn, Al-Hilal is also playing very big in this semi-final: in the event of victory, Jorge Jesus’ men would be well on their way to achieving an impressive tripled, since they are currently nine points ahead of their runner-up in the championship.
This season, the track record between the two clubs is largely in favor of Al-Hilal, who is the big favorite for the match. In the Asian Champions League, the Riyadh-based club eliminated its future opponent in the quarter-finals, winning the first leg (2-0) and the return leg (2-0). Only two weeks ago, he was even more impressive in the Super Cup final, which he won (4-1) in Abu Dhabi, again against Al-Ittihad.
In the final, the winner of this match will meet either Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s club, or Al-Khaleej, who will face each other on Wednesday.
The meeting between Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal will take place on Tuesday April 30 at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on Canal+ Sport 360.
