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Cristiano Ronaldo should start when Al-Nassr take on Serie A giants Inter Milan in a pre-season friendly game on Thursday (27 July) at the Nagai Stadium in Japan. The Riyadh-based will come into the game on the back of a 0-0 draw against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Ronaldo did start the previous pre-season friendly game against PSG. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, however, failed to make a goalscoring contribution for his side.
The game against Inter Milan is the final pre-season friendly for Al-Nassr before they return to competitive football. Cristiano Ronaldo should therefore start against Inter Milan to help him provide maximum preparations ahead of his first full season in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo could be partnered alongside the likes of Anderson Talisca and Abdulrahman Ghareeb in attack. The trio have been the cornerstone of Al-Nassr's attack ever since the Portugal superstar joined them back in late December. It looks highly likely that the three stars could spearhead Luis Castro's side attack this season as well.
Al-Nassr's title hopes would very much depend on Cristiano Ronaldo heading into the season after other Saudi Pro League's side's heavy investment this summer. The former Manchester United superstar managed to scored 14 goals and provide two assists from 19 matches across all competitions last season. Ronaldo, however, failed to win a single trophy in his first season in Saudi Arabia.
How has Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo performed against Inter Milan over the years?
Cristiano Ronaldo has faced Inter Milan 11 times in his illustrious career. The star forward has picked up six wins and four defeats against the Italian giants and has suffered defeat just once.
In those 11 outings against Inter Milan, Ronaldo has scored five goals and provided one assist. His best performance against the opponent came in the first leg of the semifinals during the 2020-21 Copa Italia. The Portugal skipper netted a brace on that occasion as his Juventus side recorded a 2-1 victory.
Ronaldo would go on to win that Copa Italia trophy, beating Atalanta in the final 2-1. He did play in the final but failed to score on that occasion. Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa scored for Juventus in the final.
Al-Nassr will be hoping for a similar sort of impact from Cristiano Ronaldo against Inter Milan on Thursday. The Saudi Arabian giants have had an underwhelming pre-season which has seen them suffer defeats against the likes of Celta Vigo and SL Benfica.
