Al Nassr Drop Cristiano Ronaldo & 5 Players From AFC Champions League Squad vs Al Duhail Over Fear of Injury

After a slow start to the Saudi Pro League, the Knights of Najd have packed a punch with a streak of undefeated games. Cristiano Ronaldo is the linchpin of Al Nassr’s success this season. But now the team is at risk of losing momentum, as reports suggest that Ronaldo and five other players will not be playing their next match against Al Duhail.

In this season’s Arab Champions League, Al Alami is undefeated, thanks to Ronaldo. As they look to lift their first Asian title, they will need to manage the next match without the 5-time UEFA Champions League winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo could miss the next match for Al Nassr

Ronaldo sacrificed his trip back home for the sake of upcoming matches for Al Nassr. After a successful league game against Al Khaleej, reports suggest that the club’s leading scorer this season did not travel to Doha for the match against Al Duhail. To add to the disappointment of the fans, 5 more players would not be playing in tomorrow’s game.

The following players: Aymeric Laporte, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Nawaf Boushal, Raghed Al-Najjar, and Abdulaziz Al-Eliwa are rested to avoid injury.

It is reported that Cristiano Ronaldo also has a slight niggle with his ankle, so he will not be risked.

Notably, CR7 had his share of injuries including the one on his knee in August while playing in the Arab Champions League. Also, he was limping due to pain in his feet during the Euro qualifiers against Bosnia & Herzegovina, when a fan who invaded startled him trying to take a selfie.

READ MORE – With a Weaker Bench Than Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr ‘Will Not Win’ the Saudi Pro League, Says Analyst

Al Nassr has decided to rest their players on a compact schedule, which even concerned Al Hilal’s president. So will the exclusion of the heavy hitters cause problems?

Will Ronaldo’s exclusion trouble Al Nassr?

Al Nassr is comfortably placed at the top of the table with three wins in three games. Ronaldo has already scored three goals in this season’s AFC Champions League and previously scored a brace when the two teams met.

To replace him, Luis Castro will likely go with Sadio Mane as his main striker, and the club’s former captain Abdullah Madu will bolster the defense in the absence of Laporte. The team will also have the services of its second-top scorer, Anderson Talisca, who also scored in the last game.

Al Duhail is placed 3rd in the group behind Persepolis FC and Al Nassr. On the other end, they haven’t won a single game, and a loss here could see them out of knockout contention. But to the Qatari team’s relief, Al Nassr will not go with their strongest team to Doha.

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