Al-Dawsari back in Al Hilal group training before the Clasico

Al Hilal captain Salem Al-Dawsari is back in group training after about three months out, days before the Clasico against Al Ittihad, Goal reports. Whether he will feature in the game has not been confirmed.

Salem Al-Dawsari returns after surgery

Goal says Al-Dawsari has not played for Al Hilal this season. He had surgery after an injury suffered with the Saudi national team during the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Al Hilal posted a photo of the captain back in group training nine days before the match.

Saudi outlet Jarayid, in a report on Thursday’s session, says Al-Dawsari took part in group training and completed his rehabilitation programme, but Al Hilal’s own report said he took part in the first part of group training before finishing a scheduled programme. Hamad Al-Yami and Theo Hernandez did specialised fitness work to recover. Earlier in the week, Jarayid reported that Al-Dawsari was still going through his rehabilitation programme, so the picture has moved on in the last two days.

A squad short of players

Head coach Simone Inzaghi has had a stretched squad during the international break, so Al-Dawsari’s return is welcome. Goal reported that the club returned to work on Tuesday after a nine-day break and that Inzaghi brought in players from the under-21 side to fill gaps in training. Mohammed Al-Owais, Hassan Tambakti, Metaab Al-Harbi, Mohammed Mazrahi, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Mohamed Kanno and Sultan Mandash were away with Saudi Arabia at the Arabian Gulf Cup. Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly, Simon Bouabre, Crysencio Summerville, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were on international duty.

The Clasico on 10 October

For Al-Dawsari, the next test is the Clasico. Al Hilal host Al Ittihad at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday 10 October in round eight of the Roshn League. Al Hilal lead the table on 18 points, one clear of Al Ittihad in second, Goal reports.

Goal also notes that Al Hilal have added Crysencio Summerville and Gabriel Martinelli in Al-Dawsari’s position, and that his form dipped after Inzaghi took over, so a return to the starting line-up is not guaranteed. Goal’s headline describes his path from star to “third substitute”.

For now, a place in the squad for the Clasico looks possible but unconfirmed. Read the full Goal report. For more on the club, read our explainer on the Manchester City ruling for Al Hilal readers. Do you think Al-Dawsari should start?