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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr travel to face Al-Tai in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday (May 16). The Riyadh giants will want to return to winning ways after only managing a 1-1 draw against Al-Khaleej last time around.
Prior to their last game, it was reported that Ronaldo is facing some fitness concerns. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, however, still managed to play the full 90 minutes against Al-Khaleej. The former Manchester United icon did not have a goalscoring contribution though.
It seems Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to full fitness and should therefore start when Al-Nassr face Al-Tai. The Portuguese legend could be partnered alongside Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Anderson Talisca in attack. The trio played together in their previous game but had a rare off day where neither player got on the scoresheet.
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It is worth mentioning that the game against Al-Tai back in January was Al-Nassr's first since signing Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer. He, however, did not feature in that game as he was serving a two-match ban he received from the Football Association (FA) whilst playing for Manchester United. The team then managed by Rudi Garcia still secured a 2-0 win with Talisca netting a brace.
Al-Nassr are currently lagging behind Al-Ittihad in the title race. Dinko Jelicic's side are second in the standings, having picked up 57 points from 26 matches. They are currently five points behind the league leaders with just four games remaining in the season.
Al-Tai, on the other hand, are seventh in the standings and have accumulated 34 points from their 26 games. They suffered a 4-3 defeat against Al-Batin in their previous fixture in the Saudi Pro League.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared as his first season at Al-Nassr nears an end
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a great start with life in Saudi Arabia following his move to Al-Nassr back in December 2022. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star has been the club's second-highest goalscorer this season despite only being there for less than six months.
At the time of writing, Ronaldo has netted 12 goals and provided two assists from 13 games in the Saudi Pro League. The forward, however, has scored just one goal in his previous four league outings.
Cristiano Ronaldo penned a two-and-a-half-year contract when he first signed for his new side. The 2023-24 season will therefore be his first full season in the Saudi Pro League.
