Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr hosts Damac FC in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday (October 21). The Knights of Najd will want to get back to winning ways following their 2-2 draw against Abha before the international break.
Ronaldo will return to Saudi Arabia following a productive international break where he guided Portugal to Euro 2024 qualification. He scored two braces against Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as Roberto Martinez's side maintained their 100 percent record.
Cristiano Ronaldo will return to club duty and should start when Al-Nassr takes on Damac. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner could be partnered alongside Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca up front to form a three-man attack.
Ronaldo will want to carry his international form into the game against Damac. The former Manchester United superstar went goalless for the first time since gameweek three when Al-Nassr secured a 2-2 draw against Abha.
The Portuguese superstar's record for the season currently stands at 11 goals and six assists from 11 games across all competitions; 10 of these goals have been scored in the Saudi Pro League.
Despite the draw, Luis Castro's side are third in the Saudi Pro League standings, having picked up 19 points from nine games. They are currently four points behind league leaders Al-Hilal.
On the other hand, Damac is 10th in the table and has picked up 10 points from nine games. They were on a seven-game winless run in the league before picking up two consecutive victories over Al-Khaleej and Al-Hazem to salvage their 2023-24 season.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo perform for Al-Nassr against Damac FC last season?
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer towards the second half of the 2022-23 season. This meant that the Portugal skipper could only face against Damac once.
Ronaldo, however, only needed one game to stamp his authority against Damac. The former Real Madrid star bagged a first-half hat-trick on that occasion as his new side registered a routine 3-0 victory.
Ronaldo completed dominated in the game last time around. He had a total of six shots in that and scored with each of his three shots, which were on target. Ronaldo only had a pass completion rate of 92 percent and even created two big chances for his teammates.
Cristiano Ronaldo, however, did lose possession on seven separate occasions and was caught offside twice in that particular game.