It has been three games since Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. tasted a victory. Last night, Luis Castro’s 2nd-seeded side was tremendously outplayed by the Saudi league’s 13th-seed- Al Raed. CR7 resumed league action in this game after a 1-match ban, only to misfire for Al Nassr. Sole goalscorer Ayman Yahya helped the Riyadh club avoid further embarrassment in the 1-3 loss. Anyhow, was this grand loss a surprise? It was not, considering Al Nassr’s growing injury list. After the loss, Castro lamented those recurring injuries, blaming the team’s sloppy efforts during the winter break.

Al Nassr already had three players on their injury list, including Anderson Talisca. Shortly before the Al Raed game, Castro’s side added Sultan Al-Ghannam and Aziz Behich to that list. After the loss against Al Raed, goalscorer Ayman Yahya too seems to have picked an injury.

Luis Castro knew recurring injuries would haunt Al Nassr!

Al Nassr’s injury woes took center stage in Luis Castro’s post-game interview. “These injuries did not come out of nowhere, and we knew they would come because we did not have a good preparation period in January,” said the Head Coach. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. took a winter break after December 30, 2023. Thereafter, the team assembled for training just ahead of their planned China tour, starting on January 24. However, a muscle injury hit Ronaldo before the first game in China and the club postponed their games against the Chinese sides. Hence, as Castro pointed out, his team did not see as much soccer action during January.

Now, Anderson Talisca, who has scored an impressive 25 goals in 25 games for Al Nassr, will miss the remainder of the season to nurse a thigh injury. Meanwhile, ace defenders Sultan Al-Ghannam and Aziz Behich are expected to sit out at least a month in recovery. Besides, Ayman Yahya reportedly experienced pain in his foot joint and is now awaiting medical tests. Notably, these injuries are doing heavy damage to Al Nassr’s prospects in the Saudi League title race at a time when each game matters.

The league title dream gets more distant every week for Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.

Al Nassr must avoid defeat at any cost going ahead. Meanwhile, the top-seeded Al Hilal would need to drop some points at least. This is the only way Cristiano Ronaldo could seize his maiden Saudi league title with the Knights of Najd. His team has failed to secure the winning three points in the last two of their league outings. Notably, the Riyadh-based outfit is dropping points against teams that are ranked below the 10th seed on the league table.

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Al Hilal, who sits above Al Nassr, is yet to lose a single game in the league. If Al Hilal wins tonight’s clash with Al Riyadh, the already nine-point difference between them and Al Nassr will further widen. What are your thoughts on Luis Castro and Cristiano Ronaldo’s struggles? Will they be able to buck the losing trend? Tell us your predictions in the comments.

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