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Talisca and Odion Ighalo
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Al Nassr will take on Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal in their second mid-season friendly of 2024 on February 8.

Luis Castro's side secured a dominant 6-0 win over Inter Miami in their first warm up game ahead of a return to domestic and AFC Champions League action.

With the Saudi top-flight campaign preparing to restart, Al Hilal are leading the way at the top of the table, with a seven-point lead over second place Al Nassr.

The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including kickoff time, broadcast details and team news.

What time does Al Nassr vs Al Hilal kick off?

This friendly clash takes place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and kicks off on Thursday, February 8 at 9:00 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

  Date Kickoff time
USA Thu, Feb. 8 1:00 p.m. ET
Canada Thu, Feb. 8 1:00 p.m. ET
UK Thu, Feb. 8 6:00 p.m. GMT
Australia Fri, Feb. 9 5:00 a.m. AEDT
India Thu, Feb. 8 11:30 p.m. IST

Al Nassr vs Al Hilal live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this friendly match across selected areas of the world's major regions.

Region TV Streaming
USA Shahid
Canada

Shahid

UK DAZN
Australia Shahid
India Shahid

UK: DAZN will be streaming this match live in the UK.

Global: Saudi Arabia based streaming platform Shahid will offer options to follow the game worldwide.

Al Nassr vs Al Hilal lineups, team news

Castro is still balancing his squad against returns from the Africa Cup of Nations and the AFC Asian Cup with his Saudi Arabia contingent now back from the latter.

Sadio Mane is expected to feature after being rested against Inter Miami following AFCON duty with Senegal.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo play vs. Al Hilal?

The key question for Castro is on whether to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back into the team after he missed out against Inter Miami with a calf injury. However, it is not thought to be a long-term issue, and he could play 45 minutes in this clash.

Al Nassr (4-2-3-1, right to left): Alaqidi (GK) — Al-Ghannam, Laporte, Alamri, Telles — Brozovic, Al-Khaibari — Talisca, Otavio, Maran — Ronaldo.

Al Nassr subs (9): TBC

Al Hilal are still without Brazilian star Neymar Jr, due to a long-term knee injury, but Jorge Jesus' team should be boosted by AFCON recalls including Yassine Bounou and Kalidou Koulibaly

The Saudi Pro League leaders also secured a friendly win over Inter Miami at the start of 2024 via a 4-3 thriller in Riyadh.

Al Hilal (4-2-3-1 right to left): Bounou(GK) — Alshahrani, Koulibaly,  Al-Dawsari, Lodi — Milinkovic-Savic, Neves — Michael, Al-Hamdan, Malcom — Mitrovic.

Al Hilal subs (9): TBC

Al Nassr vs Al Hilal prediction

Al Nassr lost 3-1 to Al Hilal in Saudi Pro League action back in December with Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring twice in Riyadh. 

However, Al Nassr won 3-1 in the Arab Club Champions Cup in August, and there is little to pick between the two sides, as Al Hilal look to hone in on the Saudi title.

Prediction: Al Nassr 1-1 Al Hilal

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Author(s)
Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.