Players like Neymar and Benzema were signed by Saudi clubs exactly for matches like this one. But injury woes threaten to derail their plans. Neymar is yet to make his debut for Al Hilal, and Benzema is currently out of action as a result of hamstring injury. Benzema's injury was uncovered during the match against Al Wehda, where he was substituted just before the half time. He is 35 years old and no longer young. This may result in more recovery time before he is back in action. The match BTW, will start in around 12 hours from now.
It seems to me that these players are bought mainly as a brand. This is a far-reaching strategy. Ronaldo's signing has opened up a dam of other transfers, and the league's large concentration of cool brands will keep players and fans alike interested in it. If the Saudis do not stop in their plans, then in a couple of years it will be a very interesting League. Now we see only the first wave, but then we will see qualitative changes.
Saudi has been working through a good plan since the beginning. The positive side is that they got Ronaldo otherwise they wouldn't have been so popular with the beginning. They started with branding players but changed their strategy again when they were accused of only recruiting older. Because a league can never be run by only a few senior players. If they don't change their tactics then a league like China would have ended very quickly that are assumed by many. But overall, the way the Saudi clubs are progressing, they could be one of the better leagues in the future.