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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr take on Abha in the quarterfinals of the King Cup of Champions on Tuesday (March 14). This will be the Portuguese forward's first appearance in the cup since his free transfer to the Saudi giants back in late 2022.
Al-Nassr have not won the King Cup since 1990 and will therefore be looking to break the curse this time around. Rudi Garcia's side have a great opportunity to win a league and cup double this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo will therefore be expected to play a huge role from now until the end of the season. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner should therefore start when his side take on Abha at Mrsool Park.
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Ronaldo has made many strike partners at the Riyadh-based outfit ever-since his transfer to the club. The former Manchester United forward could be joined by Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohammed Maran, or Jaloliddin Masharipov in attack.
Al-Nassr will be heading into this game against Abha on the back of a defeat to title-rivals Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League (SPL). This was the first league defeat Ronaldo has experienced during his short tenure at Mrsool Park. The Portuguese attacker, however, will want to get things right this time around.
The Knights of Najd picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Al-Adalah in the Round of 16 of the King Cup back in December 2022.
Abha, meanwhile, are 12th in the Saudi Pro League. They are currently on a five-match winless run in the league, which includes four defeats. They did end their losing streak by picking up a 2-2 draw against Al-Fateh on Friday (March 10).
It is worth mentioning that Al-Nassr and Abha will be facing off against one another just four days after their encounter in the King Cup, this time in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed a great start to his Al-Nassr career
Cristiano Ronaldo has arguably been Al-Nassr's best player since his arrival at the club. The former Real Madrid and Juventus forward has contributed eight goals and two assists from eight outings across all competitions.
Ronaldo has already netted two hat-tricks this season. These included a tally of four goals against Wehda and a first-half hat-trick against Damac.
Cristiano Ronaldo has played just once in a cup competition for his new side and suffered a defeat on that occasion. This was in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup where Rudi Garcia's side lost 3-1 to Al-Ittihad.
