Cristiano Ronaldo and his men will look to start their year with a bang. Al Nassr will face Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua in a club friendly this coming Wednesday. Cristiano and his side have been on a break since the 31st of December, and the side will be searching for a win to start things off on a positive note.

Shanghai Shenhua is currently ranked fifth on the CSL points table. The side could pose a decent challenge to Al Nassr, who will be without some of their key players for the fixture. It will be interesting to see if Luis Castro and his men can pick off from right where they left off before the mid-season break.

Shanghai Shenhua vs Al Nassr: Prediction

Luis Castro’s men are undoubtedly the favorites heading into the contest. The team has a powerful side on paper and has all the advantages over their opponents. It could be a tricky encounter for Shanghai, and the side is likely to catch up throughout the contest. Al Nassr should comfortably bag the fixture without any complications.

Shanghai Shenhua vs Al Nassr: Odds

Al Nassr to win: 1.2

Shanghai Shenhua to win: 4.8

Game to end in a draw: 4.4

(Note: All odds are based on 1000, example 1.6 translates to a 1600 return on a 1000 investment)

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Shanghai Shenhua vs Al Nassr: Team Updates

The hosts will look to make a significant impact during the club friendly. However, the side will be without the services of some of their top names for the upcoming fixture. The likes of Zhu Chenjie, Wu Xi, Wai-Tsun Dai, and Jiang Shenglong will be unavailable for the game, with the four players currently on international duty.

Luis Castro will also be without some of his big guns with prominent names out for the clash because of international duty. The side will be without names such as Sadio Mane, Ali Najami, Seko Fofana, Sami Al-Najei, Raghed Najjar, Al Khaibari, and Al Ghareeb, with the players currently on international duty. Castro might also hold Cristiano from playing through the entire ninety minutes with the player recovering from an undisclosed injury.

Shanghai Shenhua vs Al Nassr: Expected Lineups

Shanghai Shenhua predicted lineup: (4-4-2) Zhe Ma; Liu Yujie, Cui Lin, M. Hing-Glover; Wang Haijian, I. Amadou, JC Teixeira, Xu Haoyang; Yu Hanchao, C Malele.

Al Nassr predicted lineup: (4-3-3) Al Aqidi; Alex Telles, A. Laporte, Al Amri, S. Al-Ghannam; M. Brozović, Al Hassan, Otávio; A. Talisca, Al-Aliwa, Cristiano Ronaldo*/M. Maran.

Shanghai Shenhua vs Al Nassr: When and Where to Watch

The match between the two sides will kick-start on the 24th of January from 07:00 AM EST. Fans from the United States can catch the live action from the game on FuboTV. Meanwhile, viewers from the United Kingdom will have to tune in to DAZN for the live coverage.

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