In just a few hours, Al Nassr has a match that could make or break their season. Despite playing at a high level, the Knights of Najd have found trophies hard to come by. As a result, the King Cup final against Al Hilal is their final opportunity to salvage an otherwise forgettable season. Key to their hopes is the record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo. However, in the last league game against Al Ittihad, CR7 was withdrawn after just 74 minutes, leaving supporters concerned. Has the Portuguese superstar been hit with a new fitness issue? Let’s dive in.

As it stands, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start against the Saudi champions. His early withdrawal against Al Ittihad was a matter of giving him rest. It is worth noting that CR7 played the full duration of the game against Al Riyadh. A start in today’s game would mean that the Al Nassr captain would have played 3 games in 7 days. Hence, it’s understandable why the management wants to reduce the workload of their star player.

If recent form is anything to go by, Ronaldo will be a handful for Jorge Jesus’ side. His brace against Al Ittihad means that CR7 holds the record for most goals in an SPL season (35). As such, Luis Castro will be hoping for more of the same against Al Hilal. But Ronaldo’s record against Al Hilal is not very impressive.

This season, Al Nassr has come up against the Saudi champions on 4 different occasions with 0 wins. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t scored a single goal in the matches. The most prominent of these matches was the Super Cup clash that erupted in controversy. As a result, the attacker has issued a warning to the officials ahead of the King Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made a request ahead of the King Cup clash

In the Saudi Super Cup final defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo made the headlines for the wrong reasons. The Portuguese icon was sent off after elbowing an opponent. Following this CR7 threatened the referee of the game, Mohammed Al Hoaish. The suspension meant that Ronaldo missed the next 2 games. As a result, the soccer icon has made his feelings clear on what he expects from the referees tonight. Ronaldo said, “What I can hope is that the team can play well, that it can be a final well played and that it is fair. That’s what I ask the most.”

Likewise, coach Luis Castro also made some refereeing demands ahead of the game. The coach has pleaded for ‘strong referees‘ and it seems he has gotten his wish. The referee for tonight’s match is Argentine official Dario Herrera who would have certainly taken notice of Cristiano Ronaldo’s request. Will he be able to provide the fair match expected though? Let’s wait and watch.