Necula was thrown into the hot seat by the Riyadh giants after Romanian compatriot Cosmin Olaroiu was abruptly dismissed in bizarre circumstances.
Olaroiu led the club to a successful defence of the Crown Prince Cup with a 1-0 win over Al Shabab but refused to receive his medal before throwing away a t-shirt bearing a picture of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz.
The Saudi Arabia Football Association banned Olaroiu, prompting the club to call upon Necula to take charge of preparations for the Champions League.
He was in charge for the first time last Thursday for a 1-1 draw with Al Shabab, a result that saw Al Hilal replaced at the top of the table by Al Ittihad.
But Olaroiu’s former assistant knows that the club’s next match offers an even sterner test as Al Hilal look to improve on their poor record in the AFC Champions League.
Despite being the continent’s most decorated club with two wins each in the Asian Club Championship, Asian Cup Winners’ Cup and Asian Super Cup, Al Hilal’s best performance in the ACL is a quarter-final appearance two years ago.
“The game against Saba Battery will not be easy especially as it is our first match in the continental championship,” said Necula.
“We will fight until the end to get three important points from of the game and we will use our best available squad as we have prepared the team tactically and mentally for the match.”
Midfielder Abdullatif Al Ghannam could miss the game through injury while defender Osama Hawsawi twisted his ankle in training and will undergo a fitness test to determine his availability for the game.
For Saba Battery, this year’s competition marks their second appearance in the ACL after their debut in 2006, when they were eliminated at the group stage.
The Iranian side, who arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, finished third in the Iran Pro League last year but are languishing in sixth this term.
“We will go into the game against Al Hilal with a prepared team,” said Firouz Karimi, who was in charge of Pas in 1991 when they became the last Iranian side to win the Asian Club Championship.
“We are keen to do well in the AFC Champions League and we are looking for a good start on Tuesday.
“We came to Riyadh to get three points. It is going to be a difficult match for us but we have what it takes to get back home with a good result.”