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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr take on Abha in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday (March 18) at Mrsool Park. This will be the second time Rudi Garcia's side will face Abha this week.
The Riyadh-based side played Abha in the quarterfinals of the King Cup of Champions in midweek. They secured a comfortable 3-1 victory on that occasion. Ronaldo, however, failed to make a goalscoring contribution in the cup game and will therefore be looking to get the record straight in the league.
Al-Nassr suffered a defeat against title rivals Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League last time around. They will therefore want to get back to winning ways and will rely on the Portuguese forward's excellence for the same. He should once again lead the attack in the league as he has already done in a number of matches.
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Ronaldo could be joined by Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Mohammed Maran in attack against Abha in the league. The Knights of Najd could have their top scorer Talisca back in the starting XI as well.
The Brazilian attacker has missed the last three league outings due to an injury. He did, however, replace the former Manchester United man for the final three minutes of the game during their cup outing against Abha on Tuesday.
Al-Nassr were one of the most in-form teams in the league before they suffered a defeat to Al-Ittihad last time around. As things stand, they are second in the standings, having picked up 46 points from 20 matches this season, and are just one point behind Al-Ittihad.
Abha, on the other hand, are 12th in the table. They have picked up just 23 points from their 20 matches and are currently on a five-game winless run.
Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored in two league games for Al-Nassr
Ronaldo has been Al-Nassr's best player ever since his free transfer to the club back in late December. The former Manchester United forward, however, has not found the back of the net in his last two league games for his new side.
He went goalless against both Al-Batin and Al-Ittihad in the league. His last goals for Rudi Garcia's side came against Damac FC when he netted a first-half hat-trick back in late February.
The 38-year-old has contributed eight goals and two assists from nine games for Al-Nassr this season. However, all of his goals have come in the Saudi Pro League. He is yet to score a goal in the cups for the Saudi Arabian giants.
