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In what will come as a blow to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Sadio Mane has been ruled out for their next match. The Knights of Najd are set to take on Damac in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday (April 22).
Mane, who joined Al-Nassr from Bayern Munich in 2023, has been a key player for the Saudi Pro League club. The Senegal international has contributed 22 goals in 40 appearances for the club this season.
His partnership upfront with Cristiano Ronaldo has put the club in the third position of the teams with the most goals in the ongoing league campaign. Apart from that, Mane is also leading the club’s assists chart in the league (9 assists).
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Al-Nassr’s last match was a 2-1 loss to Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (April 18). Sadio Mane picked up a yellow card in the 30th minute of the match for a bookable offense. Before the match, the Senegalese winger had already picked up three yellow cards in the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League campaign. His most recent yellow card has made it four this term.
As per the regulation outlined in Article 12 of the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League Competition Regulations, accumulating four yellow cards in different matches results in an automatic one-match suspension. Mane’s fourth yellow card in Al-Nassr’s league match with Al-Qadsiah, hence, means he will not be available to play in the upcoming match against Damac.
At the moment, Al-Nassr are sitting in the third position on the Saudi Pro League table with 57 points after 28 matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr can still win the Saudi Pro League this season
Al-Nassr could win their first league title since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival with just six games of football left in the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League campaign. The Knights of Najd finished in the second position in the 2023-24 campaign behind their archrivals Al-Hilal. The season prior, they also ended in second position as Al-Ittihad pipped them to the league title.
They have blown hot and cold this season in the league. But despite their struggle for consistency, they could still end up lifting the coveted trophy by May 26. Before they dropped points on Friday, league leaders Al-Ittihad had dropped points against Al-Fateh, losing 2-0.
Reigning champions Al-Hilal are in second place with 61 points after 28 games, while Al-Ittihad are on 65 points after the same number of games. Stefano Pioli's men are adrift off the table toppers with eight points.
However, with only 18 points left to accumulate, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates have their work cut out as they will need Al-Ittihad to drop at least nine points in their remaining league matches while making sure that they win all theirs.
