Al Bukiryah coach Denis Lavagne relishing Al Hilal King’s Cup challenge

Frenchman Denis Lavagne knows all about taking on Al Hilal in the King’s Cup. Having almost sprung a major upset in last season’s competition, the Al Bukiryah coach is hoping he can inspire his new team to be equally as competitive in Tuesday’s last-32 encounter.

This time 12 months ago, Lavagne was the boss of Saudi First Division club Al Jabalain and when his side was drawn against Hilal in the King’s Cup, he feared the worst.

But Lavagne’s players produced an outstanding defensive display - successfully shutting Hilal out until Ruben Neves broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. The Riyadh giant held on for a narrow 1-0 victory and went on to lift the King’s Cup, as well as the Saudi Pro League and Saudi Super Cup titles. The result against Jabalain was also notable as the first win in Hilal’s remarkable, record-breaking 34-match streak.

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“The performance was very good in what was a very difficult game and we only lost the match to one goal from a corner,” Lavagne recalls to Al Arabiya English in an exclusive interview. “We defended very well, and I was very proud of my players in this new dynamic, against a team that went on to win so many games.

“I think we were a bit unlucky actually because they had drawn two games before this match against us and it meant they brought all of their best players and played with a lot of intensity. I saw after an hour that their coach Jorge Jesus looked a little nervous but they had a little bit too much for us in the end.”

This time around, Lavagne is coaching another Saudi First Division club in Al Bukiryah but the challenge is arguably even greater this time.

Hilal has won all seven of its matches so far this season across Saudi Pro League, Saudi Super Cup and AFC Champions League Elite, while Al Bukiryah is second bottom of the Saudi First Division with just one draw from its opening four league games.

On paper, Hilal is the overwhelming favorite and Lavagne is under no illusions about how difficult the King’s Cup encounter will be. However, the Frenchman insists he will do his utmost to instill belief in his players for the clash at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraidah.

“Last year we had six foreign players in our team and this time we have only three, which makes life tougher,” Lavagne explains. “We don’t have any pressure about the result, and I have told my players to enjoy this game, to enjoy the chance to play against such fantastic players.

“This is extra motivation of course, but we also know that if Al Hilal comes to us and scores a lot of goals, this can be damaging to our players’ confidence. We are not sure if they may rest some players as they are playing a lot of fixtures this season but either way, our approach is the same.

“We will try to be as defensively organized as we can and then, who knows? Anything is possible in football and honestly, we have nothing to lose.”

Lavagne has enjoyed a colorful coaching career that has taken in a variety of roles across Africa and the Middle East - from Tunisia to Tanzania, Cameroon to Egypt. The 60-year-old has also tasted Cup success before, winning the Algerian League Cup with JS Kabylie in 2021.

He has even coached Al Hilal, although it was the Sudanese club with the same name as Tuesday’s opponent.

“It is a very big team in Africa but of course you cannot compare it to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, which has a huge budget, a beautiful stadium. Still, this experience in Sudan was very valuable for me - every experience I have coaching overseas, I learn something and take that into my next job.”

Although Lavagne insists Al Bukiryah’s next league match against Al Ain is more important for the club than the King’s Cup encounter with Al Hilal, he admits is looking forward to putting his wits against opposite number Jesus and his impressive team of stars again.

“These players are so good with the ball,” Lavagne says. “Kalidou Koulibaly in defense is excellent and Ruben Neves controls the midfield. Then of course [Aleksandar] Mitrovic has been in incredible form this season, and their captain [Salem] Al-Dawsari is very good too.

“We also have some good players - like Hicham Faik [the Dutch midfielder who won the King’s Cup with Al Faisaly in 2021] and our goalkeeper Džiugas Bartkus. Sadly, our center-back Fernando Piñero will be missing.

“We have been in a difficult period, however we will try to be strong in our duels and make this match as competitive as possible. It is very difficult but if we can defend and work as a team, we can do a good performance.”

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