Football Bet of the Day: King to make a splash against the Blue Waves

Al Nassr's 3-1 defeat to Al Qadsiah on Sunday has offered Al Hilal encouragement in the Saudi Professional League title race, with the Blue Waves moving two points behind Cristiano Ronaldo's side with a victory over Al Khaleej on Tuesday (19:00 BST). The hosts, though, have won their last two games, and may have an ace up their sleeves when Karim Benzema & Co. come to town.

Below you will find my Football Bet of the Day for Tuesday, 4 May, from the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.

Al Khaleej vs Al Hilal Odds

Back-to-back wins over Al Najma (3-1) and Damac (0-2) have moved Al Khaleej up to 10th in the 18-team Saudi Pro League, with a top-half finish now in sight.

Key to both victories has been Manchester United Academy graduate Joshua King, whose most successful spell in England came with AFC Bournemouth, for whom he scored 48 Premier League goals in 161 appearances between 2015 and 2020.

The Norwegian forward left England in the summer of 2022, following less notable stints at Everton and Watford, turning out for Fenerbahce in Turkey for a couple of seasons before spending a year in French football with Toulouse.

He ventured outside of Europe for the first time in his career last summer, joining Saudi Pro League side Al Khaleej, and it's fair to say it's been a successful move for him and the club.

King, who turned 34 in January, has scored 19 goals in 26 appearances for Al Khaleej, including 18 in 25 SPL games.

One of those strikes came in a 3-2 defeat at Al Hilal last December, when he was brought on in the 66th minute and had the ball in the net 13 minutes later.

After opening the scoring in a 4-1 victory over Al Okhdood on January 16, King notched just once in his next nine appearances, but he looks to have found form again, bagging back-to-back braces in wins over Al Najma and Damac.

Al Hilal have won their last three league games by an aggregate of 10-0, beating Al Kholood (6-0) and Damac (1-0) at home before Sunday's 3-0 success at Al Hazem, so Simone Inzaghi will be confident his side can keep a fourth consecutive SPL clean sheet on Tuesday, but King will have other ideas.

Kalidou Koulibably is still out injured for the Blue Waves, so their defence is less formidable than it would usually be, at least on paper, and that should give further confidence to King, who has already scored against them this season.

At 15/8, King to score anytime is my Football Bet of the Day for Tuesday, 5 May.

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