Revenge will very much be on everybody's mind when Al-Hilal hosts Al-Ittifaq in Crown Prince Cup final at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh Friday. Six-time Crown Prince Cup winner Al-Hilal faces Al-Ittifaq, which has lifted the title once, for the first time in the competition's final. The rivalry between the two kicked off last year when Dammam's Knights edged Al-Hilal in the GCC Champions League, a competition which many Al-Hilal fans thought would be easy for the Riyadh giant. The two met just once in Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup (for players Under-23) this season where Al-Hilal beat Al-Ittifaq 2-0 in Riyadh. Al-Ittifaq, however, seems to have been building its squad for the Crown Prince Cup all the time. Plans, made by the Eastern club, worked out well since the team cruised to the final beating big clubs along the way. Al-Ittifaq in fact looked like real stuff after edging Al-Ittihad 2-1 in Jeddah. The club then kicked out champion Al-Ahli in the semifinals stage. Al-Hilal, which faced tough challenge in the first round, reached the quarterfinals after edging its city rival Al-Nasr 2-0. The Riyadh giant then dumped Al-Hazm to advance. Al-Hilal then reached the final after edging Al-Shabab 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Faisal Al-Obaili. On paper Al-Hilal, which will also have the support of its fans, looks like a better side. Its Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu has also secured a timely boost in confidence when his contract was recently renewed. In the final Cosmin will be able to bank on the services of two key players Yasser Al-Qahtani and Libyan player Tariq Al-Taib, who missed the semifinal against Al-Shabab. Qahtani is confident that Al-Hilal will regain the title. “Definitely, Al-Ittifaq is a big team in the Eastern Province, but we will fight hard to keep the cup in Riyadh,” Qahtani has said in the run-up to the final. Al-Ittifaq's coach Tony Oliveria has also insisted that his side is ready for the final showdown in Riyadh. Oliveria has two winning cards in the front - strikers Saleh Basher and Ghanaian Prince Tagoe. Both the players have been consistent throughout the competition. Abdullah Mohammed Al-Athl, member of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF), has announced that the federation has raised the cash prizes for the competition to SR4 million for the champion, SR2,500,000 for the runner-up and SR1,500,000 for the second runner-up. Al-Ittihad has won the Crown Prince Cup for a record seven times while Al-Hilal has clinched it six times. Last year's Cup winner Al-Ahli has won the title five times, Al-Shabab three times and Al-Nasr twice. Al-Qadissiyah, Al-Ittifaq, Al-Wehdah and Al-Riyadh have won the cup once. __
