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Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature in Al-Nassr's away clash against Tajik side Istiklol in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday, December 5. The Knights of Najd have already qualified for the Round of 16 of the continental tournament.
According to GOAL, Ronaldo will be rested by manager Luis Castro for their game on Tuesday evening. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner recently picked up a neck injury in his last Champions League appearance against Persepolis. The injury, however, did not stop him from playing against Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League which Al-Nassr lost 3-0.
It makes sense for Luis Castro to rest Cristiano Ronaldo against Istiklol in the AFC Champions League. Not only have Al-Nassr secured qualification to the next round, but Istiklol are at the bottom of Group E. They are already eliminated from the tournament and the game is hence a dead rubber.
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Al-Nassr have many other forwards who can fill in the shoes left by Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday. The likes of Sadio Mane, Anderson Talisca, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb are all capable of leading their side's attack in the Portuguese forward's absence.
It is worth mentioning that if Ronaldo does not feature against Istiklol, it will be the second time in the AFC Champions League that he will be rested. The Portugal skipper was also given a rest when the Saudi Arabian giants played Al-Duhail last month. They secured a narrow 3-2 victory on that occasion with Talisca netting a hat-trick.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo performed for Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League this season?
This is the first time Cristiano Ronaldo is competing in the AFC Champions League since his move to Saudi Arabia almost a year ago. The former Manchester United star will be looking to conquer another continental title after already winning the UEFA Champions League on five separate occasions.
As things stand, Ronaldo has scored three goals and provided two assists from five games in the 2023-24 AFC Champions League. One of those appearances came against Shabab Al-Ahli in the qualifying round where he registered an assist.
Cristiano Ronaldo's best performance in this season's Champions League came against Al-Duhail back in October. Al-Nassr picked up a 4-3 win at home with Ronaldo scoring a brace and also providing an assist to fellow attacker Anderson Talisca.
As things stand, the veteran has scored a total of 18 goals and provided nine assists from 20 matches across all competitions.
