Al Hilal Face Al Ahli in Blockbuster SPL Clash as Ollie Watkins Debuts Against Ivan Toney

Al Hilal host Al Ahli on Tuesday night in the biggest game of the 2026/27 season so far. It's Riyadh versus Jeddah, four-time Asian champions versus the current continental kings and, fascinatingly, England striker versus England striker.

The game is likely to see Ollie Watkins plunged straight into Saudi Pro League action and presented with a chance to make himself an instant Al Hilal hero. The England striker, 30, completed his £50 million move from Aston Villa on Sunday night in the highest-profile SPL transfer of the summer.

"Proud to be blue. Proud to be Al Hilal," Watkins said on the club's social media channels after signing a three-year deal. Watkins has risen through the ranks of English football from Exeter City all the way to the national team, scoring 193 career goals, including 91 for Aston Villa in the Premier League.

On the opposing side will be Ivan Toney, a player Watkins has spent the last few seasons vying with to be understudy for England captain Harry Kane. Toney has scored 59 goals in 65 games for Al Ahli since his move from Brentford and is a double Asian champion.

Watkins is not the only big-money arrival at Al Hilal this summer. Crysencio Summerville has made an impact following his £55m move from West Ham, while Gabriel Martinelli is set to confirm a £60m switch from Arsenal. That has seen Karim Benzema marginalised, with the 39-year-old tearing up his Al Hilal contract to leave Riyadh as a free agent linked with a return to Al Ittihad.

Meanwhile, Al Ahli enter the match following a summer of upheaval that saw coach Matthias Jaissle depart for Newcastle United, replaced by Marino Pusic. Despite losing Franck Kessie to Atalanta and facing uncertainty over Riyad Mahrez, Al Ahli retained defender Roger Ibanez and added Artem Bondarenko and Eduard Spertsyan, though they look to bounce back from a shock 3-1 defeat at Al Kholood.