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Al-Hilal will host Sepahan at the Kingdom Arena on Thursday in the second leg of their 2023-24 AFC Champions League last-16 clash.
The home side are enjoying a brilliant campaign and remain in contention for a historic treble. They picked up a clinical 3-1 league win over Al-Raed in their last match, with Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring a first-half brace before Kalidou Koulibaly headed home a third goal early after the restart to wrap up the points for Jorge Jesus' men.
Sepahan, meanwhile, have struggled for results of late but remain hopeful of securing their first Persian Gulf Pro League title since the 2014-15 campaign. They had mixed results in the group stages of the continental showpiece last year but did just enough to secure a second-placed finish in their group behind Al-Ittihad.
Al-Hilal picked up a 3-1 comeback win in the first-leg clash between the two sides last week, with Malcom, Mitrovic and Abdullah Al-Hamdan all getting on the scoresheet in the second half to overturn a first-half deficit.
Al-Hilal vs Sepahan Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been five meetings between Al-Hilal and Sepahan. Both sides have won two games apiece while their other matchup ended in a draw.
- The visitors are without a clean sheet in all five games in this fixture.
- The hosts have the best defensive record in the Champions League this season with a goal concession tally of three.
- Al-Hilal are one of two teams in the Saudi Arabian top flight this season yet to taste defeat on home turf.
- Sepahan are the highest-scoring side in the Persian Gulf Pro League with a goal tally of 33.
- The Yellow Storm have managed just one clean sheet in their last eight games across all competitions.
Al-Hilal vs Sepahan Prediction
Al-Hilal are on an outstanding 22-game winning streak and are undefeated since last August. They have won their last 12 games at the Kingdom Arena and are overwhelming favorites for the midweek clash.
Sepahan, on the other hand, are on a four-game losing streak after losing just one of their eight games prior. The sheer gulf in class and quality between the two teams should see the hosts advance to the quarterfinals this week.
Prediction: Al-Hilal 4-1 Sepahan
Al-Hilal vs Sepahan Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Al-Hilal to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Four of the hosts' last five matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in four of their last five matchups)
