Sabasports Match Preview
Club World Cup: Al Hilal vs Pachuca
Kickoff Time: 2025-06-27 09:00 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Al Hilal drew 0-0 with FC Salzburg in their previous match, suffering two consecutive draws in the group stage. Currently, Al-Hilal has only two points and is in third place in the group. The team needs to win their final match in order to have a chance of advancing. From the first two group stage matches, under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, Al-Hilal’s overall defensive performance has significantly improved, with just one goal conceded in two games. However, the team has lacked a bit of luck in attack. The key attacking player for Al-Hilal is Marcos Leonardo. The Brazilian forward has scored 17 goals in 21 starts in the Saudi Professional League, averaging 0.88 goals per 90 minutes. As a direct comparison, this efficiency is slightly better than Cristiano Ronaldo’s 0.86 goals per 90 minutes.
Pachuca lost 1-3 to Real Madrid in their last match, suffering two consecutive defeats and being eliminated from the group stage early. The main star of Pachuca is Venezuelan international Jose Salomon Rondon. At 35 years old, Rondon continues to score freely in the Mexican league after joining Pachuca. Since joining in early 2024, he has scored 22 league goals, including 14 in this season. Rondon unquestionably leads the top scorer list at Pachuca and is the team’s main attacking force. However, Rondon has not yet scored a goal in this Club World Cup. Additionally, Pachuca’s overall performance in the Liga MX this season has been disappointing, despite reaching the playoffs. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by CF America, ending their league campaign.
In terms of overall strength and form, Al-Hilal clearly has the upper hand over Pachuca. Moreover, Al-Hilal still has a chance to advance from the group, which means their motivation is stronger than that of Pachuca, who have already been eliminated. Considering all these factors, it’s reasonable to favor the stronger Al-Hilal to take all three points in this match.
Al Hilal’s Last 5 Games: DDWDW
25-06-23 FC Salzburg 0-0 Al Hilal
25-06-19 Real Madrid 1-1 Al Hilal
25-05-27 Al Hilal 2-0 Al Qadsiah
25-05-22 Al Wehda 1-1 Al Hilal
25-05-16 Al Fateh 3-4 Al Hilal
Pachuca’s Last 5 Games: LLDLD
25-06-23 Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
25-06-19 Pachuca 1-2 FC Salzburg
25-06-09 Al Ahly 1-1 Pachuca
25-05-11 CF America 2-0 Pachuca
25-05-08 Pachuca 0-0 CF America
Head To Head Record:
None
Prediction: Al Hilal to win