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Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have reportedly requested that a foreign referee officiate their upcoming league clash against domestic rivals Al-Hilal. The Knights of Najd will face Al-Hilal on Friday (November 1) at Al-Awwal Park.
Al-Hilal currently lead the Saudi Pro League table with six wins out of six. The Blue Waves edged past Al-Ahli in their last league game by a scoreline of 2-1 on October 5. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a brace (56', 78') to help his side maintain their lead atop the table. The Serbian striker is also the leading goalscorer in the league this season with nine goals in six games.
Meanwhile, Al-Nassr have been unstoppable since the appointment of Stefano Pioli as their manager. The Italian tactician joined the Knights of Najd on September 18, and has won all five games he has managed so far across competitions.
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According to a recent report (via @TheNassrZone on X), Al-Nassr have submitted a request that a foreign referee be appointed to officiate the derby against Al-Hilal.
Statistically, Al-Hilal have the upper hand against Cristiano Ronaldo's side, having won 41 out of the 78 games they have played against each other. Meanwhile, Al-Nassr have won 19, and 18 resulted in a stalemate. The last time Al-Hilal lost a game against Al-Nassr was in the 2021-22 Saudi Pro League season, where they were defeated 2-0.
Furthermore, Cristiano Ronaldo has registered just one goal and one assist in the six games he's played against Al-Hilal so far.
Al-Hilal scored four goals in 17 minutes the last time they faced Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo's only goal against Al-Hilal came during his side's 4-1 loss against the Blue Waves in the Saudi Super Cup final on August 17. Despite going 1-0 up in the first half, the Knights of Najd conceded four goals in just 17 minutes in the second half.
In the 44th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo deposited the ball into the Al-Hilal net after a brilliant run and assist by Abdulrahman Ghareeb. However, Ronaldo's efforts went in vain as the momentum completely shifted towards Al-Hilal in the second half.
Sergej Milinković-Savić opened the floodgates for Al-Hilal in the 55th minute. It was followed by a quick-fire brace (63', 69') by Aleksandar Mitrovic within just six minutes. Malcom made it 4-1 in the 72nd minute to take the Saudi Super Cup away from Ronaldo's outfit.
