One decision at Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr: how did the Saudi clubs deal with the surprise postponement of the Roshan League?

Al-Hilal's Italian head coach Simone Inzaghi and his Al-Nassr counterpart, Australian Ange Postecoglou, reached the same decision to handle the sudden postponement of Saudi Roshn League matches.

The Asian Football Confederation announced on Tuesday morning that the AFC Asian Cup, originally set to begin in January 2027, would now start in December of the same year.

That decision triggered an immediate response. The Roshn League postponed the thirteenth round, scheduled from 5 to 7 November, to a later date, with enough time now available to avoid a fixture pile-up.

Saudi newspaper "Al-Riyadiyah" reported that Inzaghi handed his players a 10-day break once Al-Hilal's clash with the UAE's Shabab Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League Elite was done.

Al-Hilal saw off Shabab Al-Ahli 2-0 on Tuesday evening at the Kingdom Arena in the Saudi capital Riyadh, in the fourth round of the league stage of the Asian tournament.

Postecoglou followed suit at Al-Nassr. Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Osaimi confirmed the Australian also gave his squad a lengthy rest, this one lasting nine days.

German coach Jens Wissing took a different view at Al-Ittihad, settling on a five-day break for his players, according to Saudi journalist Majed Hood.

The postponed thirteenth round has handed Saudi clubs a rare stretch of downtime. They will not play again until the upcoming international break is over.