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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr play host to Al-Raed in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday, March 7 at the Al-Awwal Stadium. The Knights of Najd will want to return to winning ways following their 1-0 defeat to Al-Ain in the AFC Champions League.
Ronaldo is expected to return to Saudi Pro League action today after missing his side's last league outing against Al-Hazem due to suspension. Al-Nassr drew 4-4 on that occasion with Anderson Talisca netting a hat-trick.
Cristiano Ronaldo, however, has served his suspension has will return to the starting XI for the game against Al-Raed. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner could be partnered alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Ayman Yahya to form a three-man attack.
The aforementioned Anderson Talisca could be out of the rest of the season. According to reports, the 30-year-old forward has picked up an anterior muscular injury which could see him out of action for at least seven weeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo's return, however, will be a huge boost for Luis Castro's side as they look to close the gap to league leaders Al-Hilal. The Riyadh-based side are second in the league standings, having picked up 53 points from 22 matches. They are nine points behind Al-Hilal with 12 games remaining in the season.
Al-Raed, on the other hand, are 15th, one place above the relegation zone. They have picked up just 20 points from 22 matches and are currently on a three-game winless run in the league.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a goalscoring return when Al-Nassr faced Al-Raed last time
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the goalscorers when Al-Nassr secured a 3-1 win over Al-Raed earlier this season. Sadio Mane and Talisca were the two other goalscorers on that occasion.
Ronaldo took a total of eight shots in that particular game, three of which were on target with one finding the back of the net late in the second-half. He had a total of 37 touches over the course of 90 minutes and ended the game with a pass completion rate of 86 per cent.
Cristiano Ronaldo, however, did lose possession on seven separate occasions and was also caught offside three times the last time he faced Al-Raed.
He has had a stellar season for Al-Nassr so far though. The Portugal skipper has contributed 28 goals and 11 assists from 30 games across all competitions. This includes a tally of 22 goals and nine assists from 20 matches in the Saudi Pro League.
