After 6 months of exclusion... Al Hilal faces its former coach in the Al Sadd match

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Al Hilal faces its former coach, the Romanian Razvan Lucescu, who is currently leading Al Sadd, six months after Al Sadd eliminated Al Hilal from the quarter-finals of the AFC Elite Champions League, in a renewed meeting amid prominent changes in the level of players and technical staff in the two teams.

Al Sadd defeated Al Hilal on penalties 4-2, after the match ended in a 3-3 draw at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, on April 13, 2026, to secure its qualification to the quarter-finals.

Al Hilal maintained its technical stability with Italian coach Simone Inzaghi continuing to head the technical staff, but he made remarkable changes at the level of foreign players.

The most prominent arrivals to the Saudi team were English striker Ollie Watkins, Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli, and Dutchman Crescencio Summerville.

On the other hand, Al Hilal’s list witnessed the departure of French striker Karim Benzema, who participated in the last confrontation against Al Sadd and missed one of the penalty kicks, along with Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez and Brazilian Marcos Leonardo.

On the other hand, Lucescu took over the technical leadership of Al Sadd, succeeding the Italian Roberto Mancini, who led the Qatari team during the last confrontation against Al Hilal.

The Romanian coach knows Al Hilal well, having previously led him and won the AFC Champions League title with them in 2019.

The Qatari club strengthened its ranks by signing Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and Italian defender Alessio Romagnoli, as part of restructuring the team.

On the other hand, a number of players left Al Sadd, most notably Moroccan defender Romain Saiss and Qatari Ali Assad.

While Al Hilal enters the confrontation under the leadership of the same coach, but with different offensive elements, Al Sadd enters the match under new technical leadership and with a roster that has witnessed important changes, in a confrontation that carries a special character for Lucescu against his former team.