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Al-Nassr suffered a setback when the Portuguese superstar had to temporarily bow out with a neck injury during their AFC Champions League match. Before being forced off the pitch in the 78th minute, CR7 ensured Al-Nassr to safely advance to the next round. Amid the injury scare, the important question remained: Will Ronaldo be back in Saudi Pro League action against table-topping Al-Hilal? An X post has an update.

The concerns were legit. After all, the coach’s words weren’t very reassuring. Luis Castro had then said, “The medical team is studying the injury and will do everything to make sure he is ready for the next game.” As it turns out, it wasn’t a serious injury, and recovery exercises have had some fruitful results, as is now apparently clear from the X update.

“Confirmed news:
Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al-Nasr players in group exercises in preparation for facing Al-Hilal tomorrow, Friday.” (as translated by Google)

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Time and time again, the soccer legend proved that he was an asset to the Saudi Arabian club. The last loss of Al-Nassr was back in August, and following this, they maintained a winning streak of twenty matches until the recent draw. The significant reason behind the back-to-back victories was, indeed, Ronaldo, as he scored a whopping 38 goals in 44 matches.

 

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal Slip Down In the Latest FIFA Rankings Despite Winning 10 Out of 10 European Qualifiers

Last 5 head-to-head Al Hilal vs Al Nassr

According to the points table, the top Saudi teams are separated by a mere four points. From the five latest clashes between Al Hilal and Al Nassr, stats indicate that Al Hilal is the favorite for this match. With players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksandar Mitrovic respectively, fans are in for surprises.

21st February 2022
It was the quarter-finals that Al Nassr was eliminated by their arch-rivals. Although Al Hilal reached the final, it ultimately lost the title clash 2-1 to Al Feiha. But it is noteworthy that Ronaldo was yet to start his stint with Al Nassr.

3rd March 2022
This was the last match between both teams that ended with a win for Al Hilal before Ronaldo joined forces with Al Nassr. As both teams contended for the title, Al Hilal displayed dominance with a clean and what seemed like an effortless 4-0 win.

26th December 2022
A few days prior to the official announcement confirming Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing with the Riyadh-based club, Al Nassr faced Al Hilal. It was a draw with Anderson Talisca getting on the scoresheet for his host team while Odion Ighalo, a former Manchester United striker, scored parallelly for the visitors.

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18th April 2023
In the title race, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to capitalize on a couple of exceptional opportunities. On top of that, two penalties from Odion Ighalo further determined the outcomes that didn’t favor Al Nassr that night. Finally, it was Al Ittihad emerged as the ultimate champions.

12th August 2023

In the Arab Champions Cup final, the highlights were two competitive appearances in the form of Sadio Mane from Al Nassr and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic fromAl Hilal following their summer transfers. After 90 minutes, Al Nassr snatched their victory from a 1-1 draw as Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years to secure the cup for his team with a goal in extra time.

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Though the two clubs have played each other in several different competitions over the years, the one scheduled for this Friday evening is creating heightened anticipation due to their historical rivalry and the significance of the match in the current season.

WATCH THIS STORY: Ten Times Cristiano Ronaldo Scored Four Goals in a Game