Agreement winger Rayan Messi set to miss Al Hilal clash as injuries hit both sides

Agreement winger Rayan Messi is expected to miss the Saudi Pro League meeting with Al Hilal on 28 November after failing to recover from knee surgery.

Al Hilal travel to Agreement for the match at the latter’s stadium in Dammam, with the fixture forming part of the 13th round of the Saudi Pro League.

Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiyah reports that Messi remains unavailable after undergoing surgery in recent weeks. The Frenchman has not played for Agreement since their match against Al Khaleej in the eighth round on 10 October because of the injury.

He has already missed five league matches, including Agreement’s meeting with Al Ittihad in the 10th round, and the Al Hilal game is set to become the sixth fixture he has been unable to play.

Agreement could also be without three other players. The club is working to make Khalid Al-Ghannam, French forward Moussa Dembele and Swedish attacker Jordan Larsson fit for the match.

Al-Ghannam has been following a rehabilitation programme since the start of the month after suffering a hand injury. That problem prevented him from joining the Saudi Arabia squad’s training camp in Doha during the current international break.

Dembele and Larsson have both been sidelined since the end of October with grade-two hamstring tears.

Agreement go into the game seventh in the Saudi Pro League with 19 points from five wins, four draws and three defeats. Al Hilal are top on 30 points, two clear of both Al Qadsiah and Al Nassr.

Al Hilal concerns

Al Hilal also have injury doubts, with captain Salem Al-Dawsari facing a fitness test after suffering a knee problem before the international break. The injury ruled him out of Saudi Arabia’s camp in Doha.

Al Riyadiyah reports that Al-Dawsari, known as “The Tornado”, will undergo a medical assessment on Saturday to determine whether he can return to group training.

The club’s medical staff will also monitor right-back Mohammed Mahzari, who was sent back to Riyadh after being withdrawn from the Saudi Arabia squad because of a hamstring injury. His absence will rule him out of Tuesday’s friendly against Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

There was better news for Al Hilal, however, as right-back Hamad Al-Yami returned to group training after nine months out.

Al-Yami injured his kneecap during Al Hilal’s match against Al Taawoun on 24 February, a postponed fixture from the 10th round of the Saudi Pro League. He underwent surgery in Finland in March before completing his rehabilitation programme.

Saudi journalist Ahmed Al-Ajlan said on X that Al-Yami would join the capital club’s group sessions when the squad resumes training, as he prepares to return to competitive action.