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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr face Al-Ettifaq at home in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (December 22). The Knights of Najd are in hot pursuit of Al-Hilal in the race for the title.
Al-Nassr are coming off a bit of a break in the month of December. Luis Castro's side last played a competitive game back on December 11 when they faced Al-Shabab in the quarterfinals of the King Cup. They secured a 5-2 win on that occasion, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring one of the goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo has, hence, received a nice break and will be ready to get back in to action in the Saudi Pro League. The five-time Ballon d'Or should start and lead his side's attack when they face an Al-Ettifaq side managed by Steven Gerrard.
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Ronaldo could be partnered alongside Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca to form a three-man attack. The trio will be well supported Otavio and Marcelo Brozovic from midfield.
As things stand, Al-Nassr are second in the league, 10 points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, but do have a game in hand. The Riyadh-based side have amassed 37 points from 16 matches.
Al-Ettifaq, on the other hand, are in some very poor form in the league. Steven Gerrard's outfit are currently winless in six matches and have lost two out of their last three games. They are currently eighth in the standings and have picked up 24 points from their 17 matches.
It is worth mentioning that Al-Nassr and Al-Ettifaq played each other recently in the Round of 16 of the King Cup. The game went all the way to extra time with the Riyadh giants securing a 1-0 win thanks to a solitary goal scored by Sadio Mane.
Cristiano Ronaldo is having an impressive first full season for Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently enjoying a fruitful first full season in Saudi Arabia. The former Real Madrid legend has contributed 20 goals and 10 assists from 22 matches across all competitions.
This includes a tally of 16 goals and eight assists in the Saudi Pro League, making Ronaldo the competition's leading goalscorer at this point.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be desperate to get on the scoresheet when he faces Al-Ettifaq on Friday. At the time of writing, the Portugal skipper has played against them on three occasions but has failed to score or provide an assist against them once.
Al-Nassr will be hoping their superstar forward comes good against Al-Ettifaq this time around as they look to close the gap on league leaders Al-Hilal.
