The “Radioactive Jewel” Stadium in Jeddah is embracing a new Clasico between the al-itthad of Jeddah and al-hilal on Tuesday, but this time they will face off during the semi-final of the 2024 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.
The match always carries great dedication and excitement between the two teams in view of the historical rivalry between them at the level of clashes and titles.
The team looks forward to eliminating the crescent for the first time, after a series of poor results in various competitions.
There are many factors driving the “Brigadier” to drop the Hilly team after the current season’s disasters.
Jesus Knot
Portuguese Georgie Jesus led his al-hilal team, in 8 previous matches against the al-itthad of Jeddah , winning all of them and suffering no defeat.
Jesus’ series against the Etihad was launched since his first term in the 2018-2019 season, with a 2-1 domestic super and then a 3-1 Pro League clasico.
The current season saw Jesus overtake the Federation in the quarter-finals of the Arab Championship 3-1, and in the League twice 4-3 and 3-1, the same as in the Asian Champions League by winning 2-0 twice by first leg and second leg of the last eight.
He continued to excel by sealing the local super title at Etihad’s expense in the UAE on 11 April, beating him in the final 4-1.
So the “Brigadier” will have a new chance to break this big curse that could last the ninth game.
Clasico Control
Al-Hilal has clearly outperformed the al-itthad in all competitions since his last victory in April 2021 with a score of 2-0 in the Pro League.
Since then, the al-itthad has not won on any occasion against the crescent by losing on 9 occasions and drawing once. Does it end this control?
First Win
Argentina’s Marcelo Giardo, the al-itthad’s head coach, is looking to end Jesus’ advantage over him in particular, having already fallen to him on 5 previous occasions.
The knot began when Jesus Flamengo led to the abduction of the Copa Libertadores title at the expense of Jayardo’s Riverplet by 2-1 during the 2019 edition.
The conflict moved on to the Saudi League by winning once in the Saudi League, like in the domestic Super League and twice in the AFC Champions League.
Save the Season
The federal team is looking for a chance to save their season with the last title, the Copa del Rey, after being crowned the league and super double of last season.
The al-itthad failed to retain the league title, sitting in fifth place by 50 points, and also lost the Super League and deposited the Asian Champions League at the expense of the al-hilal.
The next game carries a lot of stakes either leading the federation towards the final or coming up with a zero season and continuing the crescent’s knot.
