How Big A Blow Is Neymar’s Injury To The Saudi Pro League?
Meta: After tearing his ACL, Neymar is likely to be out for up to six months. How big a blow is his injury for the Said Pro League? Find out here.
While playing in a World Cup qualifier match against Uruguay on Tuesday, October 17th, Brazilian forward Neymar suffered an injury that will see him out of action for up to six months.
He ruptured his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and meniscus in his left knee after landing awkwardly during a challenge and is set to undergo surgery. The question being asked here is, how big a blow is Neymar’s injury to the Saudi Pro League, and will it affect Al-Hilal’s title hopes? Let’s dive in and find out.
How will Neymar’s injury impact the Saudi Pro League?
Neymar may have only played three games for his new club, Al-Hilal, in the Saudi Pro League before getting injured, but his goal-scoring abilities will no doubt be lost.
Instead of relying on Neymar to score goals, they will now have to rely more heavily on other new arrivals, Aleksandar Mitrović and Ruben Neves, to fill the void that Neymar has left. Their loss could affect Al Hilal’s title push. We will just have to wait and see.
It will also affect betting patterns now that Neymar is injured. He would have been a popular prepatch and in-play betting market. If you want Saudi Pro League live sports betting in SA for any upcoming Al Hilal matches, one of the most trusted sites you can turn to with some of the iGaming industry’s most competitive odds is the official 10bet South Africa website.
Where are Al-Hilal in the league?
Al Hilal are currently at the top of the Saudi Pro League with 26 points after 10 games played. They have won 8, drawn 2 and lost 0, and they’ve scored 27 and conceded 7, giving them a +20 GD (goal difference).
In comparison, Al-Taawoun are in second place with 23 points. In third place are Al-Ittihad with 20 points. Al Fateh are in fourth place with 20 points, and Al-Nassr are in fifth place with 19 points.
Upcoming Fixtures
On Friday, October 27th, Al-Hilal are at home to Al-Ahli Saudi in the league, and then on October 30th, they are at home to Al-Hazm, this time in the round of 16 in the King Cup of Champions.
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They return for league action on November 3rd when they travel away to play Al Fateh, and then on November 6th, they play their fourth group stage match away to Mumbai City in the AFC Champions League. On November 10th, their next league game is at home to Al-Taawoun.
Can Al-Hilal win the Saudi Pro League without Neymar?
Despite Neymar being out, most likely until the end of the season, today’s most trusted online bookmakers still have Al-Hilal as the favourites to win the Saudi Pro League outright.
Let’s take a closer look at the odds (fractional, decimal, and American/moneyline formats) and the associated IPR (implied probability rate):
Al-Hilal – current odds-on favourite to win the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League. In the decimal odds format, you’re looking at average odds of around 2.15 (which is the same as saying +115 in American/moneyline odds, or 23/20 in fractional odds). The IPR for this outcome is 46.50%
Al-Nassr Riyadh – a second odds-on favourite at 4.50 (decimal odds), +350 (American/moneyline), or 7/2 (fractional) = 22.20% IPR
Al Ittihad Jeddah – same as above (4.50, +350, 7/2)
Al Ahli Jeddah – currently priced, on average, at around 7.00 (+600, or 6/1), with a 14.30% IPR
Al Taawoun – currently priced at around 29.00 (+2,800, or 28/1), with only a 3.40% IPR
Don’t forget that online sports betting odds are subject to change at any time, and anything can happen throughout the course of a football season to affect the odds. Also, don’t forget that no bets are ever guaranteed.
Neymar has only recently recovered from an ankle injury and is said to be frustrated that he will be out for so long after suffering another annoying injury setback.
Final Note
Neymar recently overtook Brazil legend Pele’s all-time men’s top goalscoring record after scoring a brace (2 goals) in a 5-1 win over Bolivia in a recent World Cup qualifying match. Pele scored a total of 77 goals for Brazil throughout his international career, and Neymar has now scored 77 goals for his country.
Even though he had played just three games at his new Saudi Pro League club, his goalscoring talent will surely be missed. His teammates will hope that his recovery doesn’t take as long as the medical professionals say.
He joined the club on a two-year contract in August 2023 for a reported fee of €90 million after leaving French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. He scored his debut goal in a 3-0 away win playing against Nassaji Mazandaran in a group stage match in the AFC Champions League.
