Al-Hilal Faces Al-Taawoun: Breaking the Back-to-Back Defeat Curse

Al-Hilal head to Buraidah on Saturday trying to dodge a shadow from their own past.

The Saudi Roshn League leaders face Al-Taawoun in the seventh round knowing one slip has already been made. A 2-0 defeat to Neom on Monday, their first loss of the season, snapped their early momentum and reopened an old wound the club would rather forget.

A curse they know too well

Inside Al-Hilal, they call it a curse for a reason. Losing once is tolerated. Losing twice in a row in the league is something else entirely.

“The Boss” have not suffered back-to-back league defeats for almost five years. The last time it happened, the damage came from the neighbours.

In December 2021, Al-Hilal fell 2-0 to arch-rivals Al-Nassr. A blow. The following round, they stumbled again, this time 3-2 against Al-Fateh. Two straight league losses, title hopes rattled, questions everywhere.

Since that double hit, the capital club have treated every defeat as a line in the sand. Whenever they’ve lost in the league, the worst that followed was a draw. No repeat collapses. No spirals. Just a response.

Top, but under pressure

They travel to Al-Taawoun as league leaders, sitting on 15 points. Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah lurk just behind, level on points and separated only by goal difference.

So the stakes are clear. Drop points again and that slim advantage could vanish in a single afternoon. Lose, and the “curse” talk will roar back to life.

Al-Hilal know the numbers. They know the history. The question now is simple: does that five-year shield against back-to-back defeats hold firm in Buraidah, or does the old curse finally catch up with them?