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Cristiano Ronaldo should start when Al-Nassr host Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, December 8. The Knights of Najd will want to return to winning ways following their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Al-Hilal last time in the league.
Ronaldo was rested during Al-Nassr's midweek game against Istiklol in the AFC Champions League which ended 1-1. The game was already a dead rubber with the Saudi giants already having booked their place in the Round of 16.
Cristiano Ronaldo should be fresh and hungry ahead of the game against Al-Riyadh. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is expected to be fit to start and lead his side's attack on Friday evening.
He has formed a devastating partnership alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca. The trio should therefore continue to play together against Al-Riyadh with Otavio and Marcelo Brozovic supporting from midfield.
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Cristiano Ronaldo did play the full 90 minutes in Al-Nassr's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Al-Hilal last time around. It was only the second time he has suffered a defeat in the Saudi Pro League this season. The first came in his first appearance of the season against Al-Taawoun, which was Luis Castro's side's second consecutive defeat in the league.
As things stand, Al-Nassr are second in the standings, having picked up 34 points from 15 matches. They are seven points behind league leaders Al-Hilal as they look to win their first league title since 2019.
Al-Riyadh, on the other hand, are a newly promoted side this season. They are currently 13th on the table, having accumulated 16 points from their opening 15 games of the 2023-24 season.
It is worth mentioning that this will be the first time Cristiano Ronaldo will be facing Al-Riyadh since his move to Saudi Arabia almost a year ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo has starred for Al-Nassr despite them falling behind in title race
Despite Al-Nassr falling behind rivals Al-Hilal in the quest for the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League title, Cristiano Ronaldo has been performing at an extremely high level.
Ronaldo, who turns 39 in two months, is currently the top goalscorer in the league. At the time of writing, the former Real Madrid superstar has scored 15 goals and provided seven assists from 14 games in the league this season. He has contributed 18 goals and nine assists from 20 matches across all competitions.
It is worth mentioning that Al-Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic is right on Ronaldo's tail in the race for the top goalscorer. The Serbia international has scored 13 goals from 13 games so far in this campaign.
Prior to the disappointment against Al-Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace against Al-Okhdood as his side registered a comfortable 3-0 win.
