Al-Nassr are back in action tonight when they host Al Taawoun at Al-Awwal Park in tonight’s Round of 16 clash in the King Cup of Champions.
The Saudi side will meet Al Taawoun second time after beating them 2-0 in the league match, which Cristiano Ronaldo missed due to work overload. They will once again take on the same opponent in the Round of 16 King Cup of Champions.
Al Nassr will expect to continue their winning trend when they host the same opponent in the tournament as both sides will battle for the quarterfinal spot in the King Cup of the Champions.
However, besides the tournament one of the hot topics would be whether Ronaldo will be fit to play in the match as he missed their previous game in the Saudi Pro League due to workload.
He has been persistently put up an excellent performance for Al-Nassr despite being at 39. Ronaldo has been impressive for the Saudi-based side and has produced nine goals in 11 matches across all competitions.
After his outstanding performances for both club and nation since the beginning of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play in the forthcoming match against Al-Taawoun. His workload management is said to be the reason he missed Al-Nassr’s most recent SPL match. However, he is probably going to feature in this Round of 16 clash.
He has put fine numbers this season and will hope to take his tally to more goals. But with time we won’t often see him play in every match given his age and the rest he will need to avoid getting lethargic.
He has been Al Nassr’s most decisive player in big matches and with another massive game tonight the Portuguese will be ready to demonstrate his goalscoring exploits in front of the net today.
Al Nassr fans are conveying their displeasure on X after Stefano Pioli opted to include Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Ali Alhassan in the starting XI to face Al-Taawoun. The two Saudi sides are set to face each other in the King's Cup of Champions Round of 16 at Al-Awwal Park later tonight (Tuesday, October 29).
Bento starts in goal for Al-Nassr. Nawaf Boushal, Mohamed Simakan, Aymeric Laporte, and Salem Al-Najdi make up the defense. The midfield consists of Ali Alhassan, Marcelo Brozovic, Angelo, Wesey, and Anderson Talisca. Cristiano Ronaldo returns to the starting XI to lead the attack.
Sadio Mane and Otavio miss out on the starting XI with Alhassan replacing the latter due to a reported injury. However, the 27-year-old defensive midfielder is yet to impress this season. He has made just five appearances across competitions, playing just 78 minutes of first-team football.
One fan reacted by posting:
Another fan tweeted:
Check out how other fans reacted below:
Al-Nassr's title hopes took a massive blow after they were held to a 3-3 draw against Al-Kholood in their Saudi Pro League fixture on October 25. Stefano Pioli chose to rest Cristiano Ronaldo, which proved to be a costly mistake.
Myziane Maolida netted a brace, while Jackson Muleka also got on the scoresheet for newly-promoted Al-Kholood. Al-Nassr had to fight hard for a point with Aymeric Laporte and Anderson Talisca scoring a brace, including a late penalty in stoppage time to spare their blushes.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to continue his excellent form against Al-Taawoun tonight. The 39-year-old has scored nine goals and provided three assists in 11 appearances across competitions.
After their midweek draw in the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr are set to take on Al-Taawoun in the round of 16 of the King’s Cup as Stefan Pioli’s side aims for a victory here which will see them secure their place in the quarterfinal.
Al Nassr have made a good start to the new season but are far from their brilliant form after playing another draw against Al Kholood in the previous game which saw them trail Al Hilal by six points. The Knight of Najd have accumulated 18 points from the opening eight games and also got past Al Hazem in the previous round to make it here. With Cristiano Ronaldo back here, the Knight of Najd will be confident to secure the victory here.
Al-Taawoun on the other hand have endured a mixed start to the season. Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s team are currently languishing in the ninth position in the overall standings. Their three-game unbeaten streak ended in the previous game after they were comfortably defeated by Al Hilal. Now, they are set to face another team for a place in the quarterfinal of the King’s Cup.
Al Nassr have performed decently this season as compared to their opponents who have found life difficult against the top sides. We expect, Al Nassr to progress to the quarter-final with a comfortable victory in this game.
Prediction: Al Nassr 3-1 Al-Taawoun
