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Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Al-Nassr's next two games following the red card he got in the Saudi Super Cup game against Al-Hilal. His team's appeal was rejected, thus, the Portuguese megastar will not be available for the next two league games.
Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro has decided to use 20-year-old star striker Meshari Al-Nemer as Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement, per Essentially Sports.
Al-Nemer moved to Al-Nassr in 2022 but doesn't have significant playing time under his boots. He has appeared in just nine games across all competitions this year, dishing one assist.
Castro is hopeful that the 20-year-old striker will pair well with Sadio Mane, Otavio, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb and will help his team win both games amid Cristiano Ronaldo's absence. As for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, he is the leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 29 goals in 25 appearances.
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Al-Nassr are 12 points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, while they will take on Al-Khaleej in the semi-final of the King Cup. This will be the game that Ronaldo will return from his two-game suspension and the winner will go on to face either Al-Hilal or Al-Ittihad. Al-Hilal has won all three games against Al-Nassr this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo not the only Al-Nassr member that will miss upcoming league game vs Al-Feiha
Cristiano Ronaldo will not play against Al-Feiha, due to his two-game suspension. Still, he will not be the only member of the team that will miss the game.
As announced by the club, coach Luis Castro has undergone a minor medical procedure and could be out for a few games. Castro has not been with the team and is recovering from the procedure and it is unclear for how many days he will stay away from club activities.
"Mr. Vitor Severino, the first assistant coach, will be in charge of the team until Mr. Castro comes back," Al-Nassr said in a statement on social media.
Luis Castro is in his first year with Al-Nassr after taking over the club in July 2023. He replaced Rudi Garcia and has 36 wins, six draws, and six losses in the 48 games he has coached so far.
