FIFA Club World Cup
Back-to-back draws with Real Madrid and FC Salzburg saw the Saudi Arabian side holding their own against their European counterparts but the four-time Asian champions only have one goal to show for their efforts thus far.
Against mighty Real, Al Hilal had 13 attempts at goal before increasing it to 18 against Salzburg with Ruben Neves’ penalty in the opening match the only time they have found the back of the net.
The absence of forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has been keenly felt with Neves calling for improvement to ensure Al Hilal progress to the knockout stage.
"We are not in the best position, but we believe until the end," said Neves. "We played against two very good teams and we showed character. We showed that we were better than them.
“That's our main target. But we need to win the games. It's not enough to say that we played well if we don't win. So that's what we want to do [in the] next match.
"I think we are performing very well, just missing being more clinical in front of the goal.”
With two points, Al Hilal trail the pair of Real and Salzburg - who are both on four - with only the top two in the group advancing to the knockout stage.
Despite losing their first two matches, Pachuca will be no pushovers as the Mexican outfit look to end their campaign on a high.
Al Hilal’s defence - led by the formidable Kalidou Koulibaly - will need to be at their best to stop Pachuca who have scored in both their matches.
Al Hilal SFC (KSA) v CF Pachuca (MEX)
Venue: GEODIS Park (Nashville)
Kick-off: Thursday, 20:00 (UTC-5)
Photos: AFP
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