It’s time to prove critics wrong in what could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last season at Al Nassr. The club from Riyadh’s search for an official trophy after the Portuguese’s arrival is still on as they are on Al Hazm in the pre-RO16 of the King Cup. Despite going in as favorites Ronaldo and his army will be aware of the threat from the second-division club. Al Hazm surprised their Saudi League run last year with a 4-4 draw and Al Nassr will have it in mind.

However, the beginning of the season started wrongly for the Riyadh club losing one of its main players Sami Al Najei. Al Hazm, on the other hand, has made a good start in the second division not losing a game. With much at stake for both teams, let’s take a look at the latest updates about the teams and the match.

Al Nassr vs. Al Hazm: All you need to know

Injury and team news

Al Nassr:  Injuries and suspensions were the main problem for the Knights of Najd last season with many players sidelined for multiple months. This year had given a similar scare with Al Najei catching a cruciate ligament tear in the opening league game against Al Raed. While he will miss most of the season or more, the team has managed to avoid further health hazards until now except for a small glitch with Cristiano Ronaldo.

CR7 suffered from a viral illness and missed the AFC Champions League game against Al Shorta. But positive for the team in yellow, he came and scored against Al Ettifaq yesterday. However, while there are no issues with his health, whether Al Nassr will start him tomorrow remains to be seen. Nevertheless, reports also suggest that Marcelo Brozovic and Ali Lajami are also not ready and are expected to miss the match. In addition, Nawaf Al Aquidi could also start instead of Beto.

Al Hazm:  The team from Ar Rass will be happier in terms of their squad fitness as they are not reported to have any injuries.

Predicted starting line-ups

Al Nassr XI: Nawaf Al Aquidi; Sultan Ghannam, Mohamed Simakan, Aymeric Laporte, Salem Al Najidi; Abdullah Khaibari, Otavio; Angelo, Andeson Talisca, Sadio Mane; Cristiano Ronaldo.

Al Hazm XI: Ibrahim Zaied (GK); Saud Rashid, Jurien Gaari, Abdurahman Dakheel, Farhan Aazmi; Mohammed Yami, Abdulrahman Khaibary, Yousef Sayyali; Karim Yoda, Yousef Al Shammari; Zinho Gano

Head to head

Both teams have clashed 23 times before. The team in yellow has been dominant in the past with 14 wins while Al Hazm won just 5. The rest of the 4 matches ended in a draw as CR7 was banned from the game. However, in their last meeting, both teams scored 4 goals in each in March resulting in a thrilling draw.

Where to watch the match: Telecast information

The game will take place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah and will start at 1130 hrs ET/ 0830 hrs PST. The match would be telecasted live on Fox Sports.