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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr take on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday (July 25) at the Nagai Stadium in Japan. The Saudi Arabian giants will want a better showing following their 4-1 defeat at the hands of SL Benfica in their previous friendly game.
Cristiano Ronaldo featured in their defeat to Benfica last time around. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner started the game against the Portuguese outfit but failed to make a single goalscoring contribution.
Despite an underwhelming display, Ronaldo is once again expected to start for Al-Nassr when they face PSG. The former Manchester United legend could be partnered alongside Anderson Talisca and Abdulrahman Ghareeb in attack.
Like other Saudi Pro League sides, Al-Nassr have also signed star players from Europe. These include the likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, and Alex Telles. They could all feature against PSG as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo has faced PSG on four occasions at a competitive level. All four outings took place in the UEFA Champions League whilst the star forward used to represent Real Madrid. Ronaldo has scored three goals and provided one assist against the Parisian giants and has picked up three wins and a draw along the way.
It is worth mentioning that Ronaldo formed part of the Riyadh All-Stars XI which faced PSG in a friendly game earlier this season. The Ligue 1 giants recorded a 5-4 victory on that occasion but the Portugal legend did score a brace.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in upbeat mood ahead of the new season with Al-Nassr
The 2023-24 season will be Cristiano Ronaldo's first full season in an Al-Nassr shirt. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star scored 14 goals and provided two assists from 19 matches last season since joining them for the second half of last season.
Despite his best efforts, Cristiano Ronaldo ended his first season in Saudi Arabia without any piece of silverware. The superstar forward wants to rectify the same heading into the new campaign.
Speaking ahead of their game against PSG, Ronaldo was quoted as saying the following (via Goal):
"We hope to win all the trophies. We know it's going to be difficult but I think we have a good team, a new coach, new players, and we're looking forward to doing an amazing season. Of course, I hope to win a few trophies this year."
Al-Nassr begin their Saudi Pro League campaign with an away game against Al-Ettifaq on August 14, 2023.
