Inzaghi starts Savic but sidelines returning Dawsari

Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal face Al Hazem on Monday evening with Simone Inzaghi deploying a tactical adjustment to his squad. The Italian coach has selected Serbia's Sergej Savic for the starting eleven, marking his return from the previous round against Al Ittihad. Midfielder Sabir will join Mohamed Kanno and Portugal's Ruben Neves in central play as part of this lineup.

Conversely, team captain Salem Al-Dawsari is resting on the substitutes' bench following a recent injury layoff that has now concluded his rehabilitation program. While Dawsari rejoined full training sessions earlier, Inzaghi opted to keep him off the pitch for this match in favor of Savic's immediate availability.

The starting formation features goalkeeper Yassine Bounou at the back with Mohammed Mahzari, Kalidou Koulibaly, Hassan Tambakti, and Theo Hernandez defending. The attack relies on Ollie Watkins, Crysencio Summerville, and Gabriel Martinelli to score against Al Hazem.

Al Hilal currently sits atop the league table having played nine matches with seven victories and one loss, accumulating 22 points in total. Their recent form includes three consecutive wins before a draw last week. In contrast, their opponents Al Hazem occupy twelfth place after ten games where they have secured only two wins out of four losses.

Inzaghi faces the challenge of managing minutes for his star players while ensuring maximum attacking output without blunting his team's momentum. Dawsari remains available to provide experience and an extra card should Inzaghi need a change in the second half if the game develops favorably.