RIYADH: Al-Hilal have said an early goodbye to their coach Ramon Diaz and will do the same to their season if they lose the Classico to Al-Ittihad on Tuesday.
It is a huge encounter but one that the Riyadh giants will prepare for without the Argentine boss who has returned home for family reasons, and with his contract ending next month and little to play for until the end of the season, he is not coming back.
The title he won last season is also set to leave fourth-placed Al-Hilal soon, the only questions now being when and where to.
With Al-Shabab losing 1-0 to Ettifaq on Sunday to stay nine points off the pace, it is now between two teams who are both in action at the same time on this titanic Tuesday.
Al-Ittihad are five points clear of Al-Nassr with just four games remaining. On paper, the trip to Al-Hilal is Al-Ittihad’s toughest game that they have remaining and if both results go their way, then they could be eight points clear when they wake up on Wednesday morning.
That would almost certainly mean that the Roshn Saudi League trophy will be heading to the yellow and black corner of Jeddah for the first time since 2009.
Al-Nassr, who visit an Al-Tai team who strolled into a 3-0 lead at bottom team Al-Batin last week and ended up losing 4-3, need to win and require Al-Hilal to do them a big favor against the leaders, but their bitter Riyadh rivals are not at their best.
The departure of Diaz, whose son Emiliano will take the reins until the season ends, may not go down well with Al-Nassr, who also have a temporary coach in charge in Dinko Jelicic. Should Al-Hilal fail to perform against Al-Ittihad, there may be accusations that the Blues are winding down after slipping out of the title race and losing the AFC Champions League final earlier this month.
If that happens, Al-Hilal fans and players will surely point to what has been a gruelling campaign with three dramatic and draining games at the FIFA Club World Cup in February.
Then came the march to the AFC Champions League final and the games coming thick and fast in the league. It is no surprise that competing on four fronts became too much and injuries have played their part.
The fourth front is the King’s Cup and, on Friday, Diaz ensured that his last game in charge ended in a trophy as Al-Hilal came back from a goal down to beat Al-Wehda after an epic penalty shootout. The celebrations were heartfelt, and it could be that there is a hangover after two hours of tense football.
The Riyadh giants have their trophy, the highest they can finish in the league is third, and there is also expected to be something of a clear-out this summer with several players leaving.
If all that points to a team that is already looking toward next season, it should be remembered that Al-Hilal remain Al-Hilal and the Classico is the Classico. Losing at home to Al-Ittihad would not go down well among the blue masses and there was some positive news in that talisman Salem Al-Dawsari was expected to return as well as Colombian midfielder Gustavo Cuellar.
Al-Ittihad have few injury issues and are in good form after 12 wins from the last 15, the most recent of which was a 4-0 defeat of Abha. Abderrazak Hamdallah is in great goalscoring form and tops the standings with 20 so far. Brazilians Romarinho and Igor Coronado are also in top creative gear with Egyptians Ahmed Hegazi and Tarek Hamed helping to keep things tight.
Yet nothing will be taken for granted. Last season, Al-Ittihad were 16 points clear of Al-Hilal but still ended up in second. Nuno Santo arrived to take charge last summer and while the former Tottenham Hotspur boss has introduced more steel and solidity to the backline, two of his three losses so far in Saudi Arabia have come at the hands of Al-Hilal, in the league in January and the King’s Cup in April. Revenge will be sweet but there is a bigger prize at stake.
Also big is Al-Nassr’s game with Al-Tai, who are safely in seventh place. The Yellows have not been at their best in recent weeks, dropping seven points in the last four games. It means they are now five points behind and cannot afford more missteps.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates will be furious with themselves if they fail to take advantage of any slip-up from the leaders. At this stage of the season, it is not about performances but about just getting the result.
The news that key defender Alvaro Gonzalez, who scored the only goal of last week’s 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej, has been declared fit, is welcome though goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi is still out, meaning that Agustin Rossi is set to make another start between the sticks.
Al-Tai’s stadium has already sold out meaning there should be quite an atmosphere to match the occasion. Defeat will almost certainly end the title hopes of Al-Nassr, but as big as the game will be, fans will be keeping half an eye at least on what is going to be a momentous Classico.
