Al Hilal vs Al Nassr Prediction: Neves to nab as Ronaldo overshadowed in Riyadh

The two frontrunners for the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League title, leaders Al Hilal and second-place side Al Nassr, face off at the former's Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Monday (17:30 GMT), with the hosts seeking to extend their four-point lead.

Below are my Al Hilal vs Al Nassr predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Goalkeeper Bono and defender Kalidou Koulibaly are still on international duty with Morocco and Senegal, respectively, at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, so the Al Hilal duo will miss out on Monday's match.

Simone Inzaghi can call on the rest of his big hitters, though, including Ruben Neves, Malcom and Darwin Nunez.

Football Odds

Al Nassr are missing one player, Sadio Mane (Senegal), due to the Afcon in Morocco, while Mohamed Simakan (muscle) and long-term absentee Sami Al-Najei (knee) are in the treatment room.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman are the star names in Jorge Jesus' squad for this crunch clash.

Al Hilal vs Al Nassr Odds

Al Hilal, who have won their last 18 games in all competitions, are 6/5 to extend their victorious run to 19, implying a 45.5% probability of success. Al Nassr, meanwhile, are 13/8, or a 38.1% chance, to recover from back-to-back losses to Al Ahli (3-2) and Al Qadsiah (1-2) and beat the Blue Waves in their own backyard for the second season running, with the draw offered at 13/5.

Anytime Goalscorer - Ruben Neves (HIL) @ 9/2

Al Hilal midfielder Neves, who scored six goals in 35 games for Wolves during the 2022/23 Premier League season before sealing a big-money switch to Saudi Arabia, has struck five times in 12 Saudi Pro League appearances this term.

The 28-year-old was on target in last Thursday's 3-0 victory over Al Hazem, making it three goals in his last five league matches.

Today's Football Fixtures

Neves also notched in his side's 4-1 King Cup win against Al Fateh on November 29, meaning he has found the back of the net four times in his last seven games across all competitions for Inzaghi's charges.

The Portugal international packs a mean shot from distance, so even if Al Nassr bunker in on Monday, Neves can plot a way past their defence from outside the box.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Al Hilal & Yes @ 21/10

Al Hilal and Al Nassr have both scored in every league game this season, netting 35 and 38 times, respectively, after 13 rounds of fixtures, while both teams have conceded 12 goals.

The last six head-to-heads have seen both sides score, so I'm confident there will be goals on Monday.

I'm adding in a home win, too, as while Jesus is missing a couple of key men at the back in Bono and Koulibaly, I can't look past their 18-game win streak, combined with Al Nassr's three-match winless run, the last two of which they have lost.