Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Al-Nassr against Al-Ittihad today?

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr travel to face Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday (9 March). The league leaders will be wanting to extend their stay at the top of the standings following their 3-1 win over Al-Batin last week.

After being one goal down in the 17th minute, Al-Nassr scored three goals in injury time to secure a win against Al-Batin. Ronaldo played for the full 90 minutes of the game but failed to make a single goal-scoring contribution. Rudi Garcia's side, however, still came away with all three points at Mrsool Park.

Despite his ordinary outing last time around, Cristiano Ronaldo is still expected to start when Al-Nassr take on Al-Ittihad on Thursday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner should lead his side's attack alongside the likes of Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Jaloliddin Masharipov.

Despite turning 38 last month, Ronaldo has still played the full 90 minutes in each of his six appearances in the Saudi Pro League. He has also captained the side on all of those previous occasions.

Ronaldo has been in incredible form ever since his move to the Saudi Pro League. The former Manchester United forward has already netted eight goals and provided two assists from just six outings in the league.

This included scoring four times in a single game against Al-Wehda and another hat-trick against Damac FC.

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Game against Al-Ittihad could be Cristiano Ronaldo's biggest challenge in an Al-Nassr shirt

Cristiano Ronaldo has had an excellent start to life in Saudi Arabia after his contract at Manchester United was terminated by mutual consent towards the end of 2022. However, the game against Al-Ittihad could be one of his biggest challenges so far in his brief spell at the club.

Al-Ittihad are currently Al-Nassr's title rivals in the Saudi Pro League. They are currently second in the standings, having picked up 44 points from 19 matches this season. Al-Ittihad are two points behind Rudi Garcia's side and a win against them will see them top the league charts.

It is also worth mentioning that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr have already suffered a defeat against Al-Ittihad this season. The Riyadh-based outfit suffered a 3-1 defeat against their rivals in the semifinals of the Saudi Super Cup back in January. This denied Ronaldo a shot at winning his first trophy in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo's form in the league, however, is a cause for optimism for Rudi Garcia. A win against Al-Ittihad could be a real statement of intent in their quest for their first league title since 2019.