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Al Hilal will welcome Al Ain to the Kingdom Arena in the second leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, as they look to overturn a two-goal deficit.
The two teams met in the first leg at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium last week and Al Ain recorded a commanding 4-2 win. Soufiane Rahimi continued his fine form with a hat-trick and Alejandro Romero added the fourth goal from the penalty spot in the 56th minute. It was their first win in five games.
Malcom and Salem Aldawsari scored consolation goals for Al Hilal in the second half as their record run of 34 successive victories came to an end. They conceded four goals in a match for the first time since February 2023 and will look to improve on that record.
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The hosts finished as the runners-up in this competition last season and are at risk of being eliminated from the semi-finals this time around. Al Ain, meanwhile, are on the verge of making it to the final for the first time since the 2016 edition.
Al Hilal vs Al Ain Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met 15 times in all competitions thus far. They have contested these meetings closely, with the visitors having a narrow 7-6 lead in wins and two games ending in draws.
- Three of the last five meetings between them have produced under 2.5 goals, with three clean sheets for the hosts.
- Al Hilal have an unbeaten home record against the visitors, keeping five clean sheets in six games.
- Al Ain have just one win in their last five games in all competitions, suffering two defeats while conceding at least two goals in four games in that period.
- The visitors have suffered just one loss in away games in the Champions League this season, recording three wins in five games.
Al Hilal vs Al Ain Prediction
The Blue Waves suffered their first loss since August in the first leg, which also saw their 34-game winning run come to an end, thus they will be looking to bounce back with a win in this match. They are unbeaten at home in all competitions since August and have won their last 18 home games on the trot.
They are unbeaten at home against the visitors, conceding just one goal in six games, and are strong favorites. The absence of Aleksandar Mitrović due to an injury has been a blow for them and they'll hope that Malcom continues his goalscoring run.
The Boss returned to winning ways after four games in the first leg and will look to build on that form. Interestingly, three of their four goals were scored from the penalty spot in the first leg.
While they have won three of their five away games in the Champions League this term, they are winless in their travels against the hosts, scoring just one goal while conceding 12 times, and might struggle here. Hernan Crespo is likely to stick with a similar starting XI from the first leg.
The 2022 runners-up have an impressive home record this term and should be able to eke out a narrow win but are expected to fall short on aggregate.
Prediction: Al Hilal 3-2 Al Ain
Al Hilal vs Al Ain Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Al Hilal to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Malcom to score or assist any time - Yes
