Al-Hilal Aims to Avoid Back-to-Back Losses in Buraidah

Al-Hilal walk into Buraidah on Saturday carrying more than just league-leading form. They carry a nagging memory they would rather leave buried.

The Saudi Roshn League leaders visit Al-Taawoun in the seventh round, still stung by their first defeat of the season – a 2-0 loss to Neom on Monday in the sixth round. One bad night, on its own, is manageable. Two in a row? For Al-Hilal, that word has its own weight: curse.

Inside the club, they know exactly what they are trying to avoid.

“The Boss” have not lost back-to-back league matches for almost five years. The last time it happened, the story started with their neighbours and eternal rivals Al-Nassr.

In December 2021, Al-Hilal fell 2-0 to Al-Nassr. The damage did not stop there. In the very next round, they slipped again, this time 3-2 against Al-Fateh. Two straight defeats, questions everywhere, and a rare sense of vulnerability around the Riyadh giants.

Since that double blow, the capital club have treated a league defeat like a one-off accident, not the start of a spiral. Every time they have lost in the Saudi Roshn League, the worst that followed was a draw. No repeated stumble. No second punch landing.

That is what is on the line in Buraidah.

Al-Hilal arrive at Al-Taawoun’s home ground on 15 points, sitting top of the table on goal difference ahead of Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah, who trail in second and third. The standings say they are in control. The recent loss says they are suddenly under examination.

One game will tell a lot. Is Neom just a blip, or the start of a story Al-Hilal thought they had erased from their history?