Al Ain vs Al Hilal prediction 17.04.2024

• Competition: AFC Champions League, Semi-Finals, 1st Leg
• Date: Tuesday, 17th April 2024
• Kickoff: 17:00 UTC +1 / 18:00 CEST
• Venue: Tahnoun Bin Mohamed Stadium (Al Ain)

After eliminating one Saudi Arabian team (Al Nassr), Al Ain will face off against the best Saudi Arabian team this year, Al Hilal, in the AFC Champions League Semifinals. The first leg will take place at Tahnoun Bin Mohamed Stadium at Al Ain, while the second leg will take place in Riyadh seven days later. 

Despite playing well in the AFC Champions League, Al Ain are having a poor season in the domestic competitions. In the last two seasons, they were the winners and the runner-ups, missing the title by three points. However, this season, they are in 3rd place with 36 points, already 12 points away from the top spot. They weren't much better in the domestic Cup, as they were eliminated in the Quarter-finals by Itihhad Kalba. Looking at their previous games, we can see that this game comes at a really bad moment for Al Ain, and they will have a really tough job against Al Hilal.

On the other hand, Al Hilal are playing an absolutely incredible season in all competitions. Yes, they invested a lot of money, but so did the other teams from Saudi Arabia, and they are nowhere near as good as Al Hilal. In the last round of the AFC CL, they easily eliminated one of the better teams in the competition, Al Ittihad, on a 4:0 aggregate. They are also at the top of the domestic league with a 12-point advantage over Al Nassr. Since they had already won the Super Cup and reached the semifinals in the Cup, where they are the favorites, we wouldn't be too surprised if they would win a quadruple this season! 

Al Ain vs Al Hilal pick: Al Hilal to win

Al Ain are in a really rough period, winning only once in the last seven matches! Their defense collapsed totally, allowing 12 goals - 1.71 per game. And their defense will surely be tested against in-form Al Hilal. 

Al Hilal are on an absolute tear! If we count three friendlies, they have won 32 games in a row and are unbeaten in the last 40! Lately, despite missing key pieces, Neymar and Mitrovic, Al Hilal are doing great, and their offense looks unstoppable even without them. Right now, I do not see a team capable of securing positive result against Al Hilal. 

The difference in form and overall quality of the teams massively favor Al Hilal, and we firmly believe they will secure the 33rd win in a row and take a step closer to winning the AFC title.