Continental powerhouse

Al Hilal have enjoyed plenty of success since their formation in 1957, winning 50 domestic trophies including a record 17 Saudi Professional League titles and a number of Arab regional competitions.

They are also a powerhouse on the continental stage, where they have been crowned champions of Asia a record four times following their victories in the Asian Club Championship in 1991 and 2000 and the AFC Champions League in 2019 and 2021.

The Riyadh club could have won three consecutive Asian titles but their 2020 campaign was curtailed when a Covid-19 outbreak in their squad before their final group game forced them to withdraw from the competition although they were leading their group with an unbeaten record at the time.

Managerial turnover

Al Hilal’s success has come in spite of regular managerial changes with nearly 40 coaches guiding the fortunes of the club since the turn of the millennium including former Portugal manager Artur Jorge, ex-Romania boss Anghel Iordenscu and current Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic.

The current occupant of the hot seat is Portuguese Leonardo Jardim who guided Monaco to the Ligue 1 title in 2017 and also had spells in charge of Braga, Sporting Lisbon and Greek side Olympiacos. The 47-year-old replaced Brazilian Rogerio Micale last summer and led Al Hilal to a 2-0 win over Pohang Steelers in the AFC Champions League final in November.

Familiar foes

Al Hilal’s squad is stocked with local and international talent. Nine of their players were recently called up for Saudi Arabia in the World Cup qualifiers and their international contingent includes Peru striker Andre Carrillo, Mali forward Moussa Marega, Colombia midfielder Gustavo Cuella and South Korea defender Jan Hyun-Soo.

Two of their other imports may be familiar to Chelsea supporters. Brazilian attacking midfielder Matheus Pereira scored twice in West Bromwich Albion’s shock 5-2 win at Stamford Bridge last season while Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo, who joined the club last week from their Riyadh rivals Al Shabab, played in Premier League games against the Blues for Watford and Manchester United.

Club World Cup experience

Like Chelsea, Al Hilal are making their second appearance in the Club World Cup following their debut in Qatar in 2019.

On that occasion, the Saudi side made it past the second round with a 1-0 win over African champions Esperance of Tunisia and led at half-time against Libertadores champions Flamengo in the semi-finals before the Brazilian club hit back after the interval to win 3-1.

Al Hilal eventually finished fourth after losing a penalty shoot-out to Mexican outfit Monterrey in the third-place match following a 2-2 draw.

Blue is also their colour

With Chelsea wearing yellow for the semi-final, Al Hilal will don their first-choice blue kit at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday and they will have the backing of the majority of fans there as they enjoy strong support throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

An Arab News report two years ago indicated Al Hilal have a huge social media following with nine million Twitter followers and their popularity in the region was evident during their 6-1 thumping of Al Jazira on Sunday when the away supporters outnumbered the home fans in the 12,000 strong crowd.