Al-Hilal qualified for the Club World Cup by winning the AFC Champions League, overcoming Pohang Steelers in the final of the tournament in November.
The Blue Waves have won eight, drawn seven and lost two of their 17 Saudi Professional League matches this season, meanwhile, to occupy fourth spot in the table, boasting 31 points, 13 points behind leaders Al-Ittihad.
Leonardo Jardim’s side put in an excellent performance in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, running out 6-1 winners over Al Jazira Club to breeze into the final of the competition.
Al-Hilal actually fell 1-0 behind in the 14th minute of the contest, but former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo levelled the scores in the 36th minute, before the Saudi Arabian side netted another five times without reply to set up a final against Champions League holders Chelsea.
As well as Ighalo, Al-Hilal have former West Bromwich Albion attacker Matheus Pereira in their squad, in addition to Moussa Marega and Andre Carrillo, and it will be fascinating to see how the Royal Club perform against Thomas Tuchel’s side on Wednesday.
Chelsea, meanwhile, last competed in the Club World Cup back in 2012, suffering a surprise 1-0 loss to Brazilian outfit Corinthians, so the Premier League club are bidding to win the competition for the first time.
The Blues qualified for the tournament through their Champions League success last term and will undoubtedly be the favourites to win this semi-final before potentially taking on Palmeiras or Al Ahly in the final.
Tuchel’s side will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Saturday, while they also beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League before the break.
Chelsea’s next Premier League game is scheduled against Crystal Palace on February 19 before the first leg of their Champions League last-16 contest at home to Lille on February 22.
The London club had to fly to Abu Dhabi without their manager, with Tuchel testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of their FA Cup clash on Saturday, but there is a chance that the German could join the team for Saturday’s final, should they manage to navigate their way past Al-Hilal
