Ollie Watkins is set for a fast start at Al-Hilal, and his first major test comes on Tuesday in Riyadh against Ivan Toney and Al-Ahli. The two England forwards will be reunited in Al-Hilal v Al-Ahli, a game that has already been billed as the first big clash between title hopefuls in the Saudi Pro League season.
Watkins has gone straight into a match that carries more weight than a routine league fixture. Thomas Tuchel, England's head coach, is expected to keep a close eye on both strikers, and that will add another layer to a contest that already has plenty riding on it. Watkins and Toney spent 33 minutes on the pitch together in Miami a few weeks ago, but this meeting is different: one has just arrived at Al-Hilal, the other has spent two years building a case at Al-Ahli.
Toney's record explains why he is at the centre of the attention. Since signing for Al-Ahli in Jeddah two years ago, he scored 23 league goals in his first season, won the Asian Champions League title, then followed it with 32 league goals in his second season. He was pipped to the Golden Boot by Julián Quiñones on the final day, but he has already started this season with four goals in three games. That form gives Al-Ahli a real edge in the conversation around Tuesday's match, especially with Watkins still settling in.
Al-Hilal arrive with their own burden. They finished second last season, and there has been no shortage of criticism of Simone Inzaghi for allowing Al-Nassr to win last season. Even so, Al-Hilal have the scale and history to treat this as more than a single night: they have won 19 domestic titles and four titles in Asia, while Al-Ahli have only one domestic league title in more than 40 years. Al-Hilal have also opened the season sharply, scoring nine goals in their first two league games, which is a clear signal that the pressure to turn territory into trophies has not eased.
The Saudi Pro League changed sharply after clubs splashed out more than £700m on players in the summer of 2023, and the market has since moved toward younger and cheaper options. Watkins is part of that shift at Al-Hilal, but Tuesday's game will say more about the present than the spending spree behind it. For him, the question is immediate: whether his arrival gives Al-Hilal another finisher in a title race that is already taking shape.
