Al-Nassr host Al-Rayyan at the Al-Awwal Park on Monday for their second game of the AFC Champions League season. The in-form side are looking to win for the first time in the campaign after beginning with a draw.
The Knights of Najd were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Shorta on the road, as Sultan Al-Ghannam's 14th-minute opener was cancelled out by Mohammed Dawood Yaseen 10 minutes later.
Since then, Luis Castro's side have won all three of their official fixtures, a pair of Saudi Pro League wins sandwiched between a narrow victory in the King Cup of Champions.
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo struck penalties against Al-Ettifaq and Al-Wehda in the top flight and will be keen to open his account in the cup next week.
Meanwhile, Al-Rayyan will look to pick themselves up from a comprehensive 3-1 defeat to Al-Hilal on matchday one. First-half goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Joao Cancelo and Marcos Leonardo had them trailing big before the break, while a consolation strike from Roger Guedes moments into the second half couldn't inspire a comeback.
It has gone from bad to worse for the Lions since then, losing to Al-Wakrah (2-0) and Al-Arabi (2-1) in the Qatar Stars League to slump to ninth in the standings with six points from as many games.
Al-Nassr vs Al-Rayyan Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will only be the second fixture between the two sides.
- Al-Nassr lost their first game in the fixture 2-1 in the 1996-97 Asian Club Championship.
- Out of 16 clashes against a Qatari side, Al-Nassr have won only six, half of which have come against Al-Sadd.
- Al-Rayyan have lost their last three games across competitions.
- The Lions have failed to score in one of their last seven outings.
- The Knights of Najd are on a three-game winning streak and are unbeaten in seven.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in his last two appearances for the Riyadh outfit (both penalties)
Al-Nassr vs Al-Rayyan Prediction
The hosts are the form side, winning their last three games across competitions and having their star forward Cristiano Ronaldo on a good run of form. So, Al-Rayyan could be set for another loss.
Prediction: Al-Nassr 2-0 Al-Rayyan
Al-Nassr vs Al-Rayyan Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Al-Nassr
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No