Koulibaly aware RSL rivals gunning for Al Hilal
We sit down with Senegal defender to talk 2024-25 RSL
Al Hilal begin their Roshn Saudi League title defence tonight at new boys Al Kholood, with the champions bidding for another season of sustained success.
Jorge Jesus’ men were record-breakers in 2023-24, going unbeaten through the whole RSL campaign and setting new marks for points (96), win rate (91 percent), goals-per-match average (2.97), consecutive victories (24), longest home winning streak (16), and the longest consecutive scoring streak (36 matches).
Also, their 14-point title-winning margin represented the widest in RSL history, too.
34 games, 31 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses, 96 points, 101 goals scored and 23 conceded.
RSL champions Al Hilal enjoyed a season to remember #yallaRSL https://t.co/aLrk0NMJOh
So, with that in mind, just how do they go about having an even better campaign?
We sat down with defender Kalidou Koulibaly to chat about improving — somehow — on last season, the objectives for 2024-25, how to handle both fans’ expectation and having that target on their back in this season’s RSL, and Neymar’s long-awaited return.
How are you approaching this season after last year’s title?
“We approach it with a lot of apprehension; this season is going to be very difficult. We know that last year Al Hilal was the team to beat. It was a very challenging championship in which we managed to remain unbeaten.
“I think that this year, all the teams will be determined to beat Al Hilal. But we have prepared well; we know that this championship will be very tough. All the teams have strengthened themselves, and they will be motivated to perform well against us.
“However, we want to make our supporters, our families, our friends, and especially the people of the club happy. We know that Al Hilal will be expected to perform well on all fronts, but we will be ready to win new titles.”
