Bounou Injury Deepens Al-Hilal's Turmoil Before Al-Taawoun Clash

Al-Hilal’s week has gone from bad to worse. The shock defeat to Neom was the first blow. Now they might have to face Al-Taawoun without their star goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou.

The Moroccan international missed Wednesday’s group training session after suffering a hamstring injury, the club confirmed just 72 hours before Saturday’s Saudi Roshn League clash in Buraidah.

Al-Hilal announced via a post on their official X account that Bounou had reported to the medical clinic at the Al-Majidiyah sports centre, where tests revealed the hamstring problem.

The timing could hardly be worse. Bounou felt the issue before the Neom match on Monday at Kingdom Arena in the sixth round of the Roshn League. He was ruled out, and Mohammed Al-Owais stepped in, but Al-Hilal slipped to a 2–0 defeat and failed to lay a glove on the visitors’ clean sheet.

Physiotherapy specialist Thamer Al-Shahrani has played down the alarm, describing the injury as minor and not a major concern. The reassurance is welcome, yet the clock is ticking. Bounou’s availability for the trip to Al-Taawoun remains uncertain, and the margin for risk at the top of the table is thin.

Despite the turbulence, Al-Zaeem still sit first in the Saudi League with 15 points from five wins and one defeat, ahead of Al-Qadsiah on goal difference.

Top of the standings, wounded from a surprise loss, and with their No. 1 racing against time—Al-Hilal head to Buraidah knowing the next 90 minutes could say a lot about how long they plan to stay on the summit.