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Al-Nassr fans are happy with Stefano Pioli’s decision to bench Talisca and start Angelo alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in their AFC Champions League fixture. The Knights of Najd will face Iranian side Esteghlal on Tuesday, October 22.
Talisca has not enjoyed a good start to the season. The Brazilian forward has struggled to make a major impact in games for the Saudi club this season. In 11 games across competitions, he has managed just three goals.
Al-Nassr took to the club’s official X handle to share the lineup for their AFC Champions League clash with Esteghlal. Angelo, who joined the club in the summer from Chelsea, will replace Talisca in a three-man attack that includes Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 19-year-old will be looking to impress with the opportunity.
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Fans took to X to share their reactions after the lineup was released. Several fans were delighted with Talisca's omission from the starting XI.
One fan wrote:
“I used to pray for times like this.”
Another fan posted:
“Good for the team.”
A fan applauded the manager's lineup decision, saying:
“Good decision by the manager. Let's go.”
“Finally the artist is gone,” one user wrote, taking a dig at Talisca.
“Boushal isn't good enough. Talisca in benched, I'm happy,” another fan wrote.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr fared in the AFC Champions League?
Al-Nassr began the AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 1-1 draw against Iraqi club Al-Shorta. That fixture was the last game for former manager Luis Castro as he was sacked after the disappointing result. Cristiano Ronaldo also missed out on the Al-Shorta encounter due to an illness.
However, in the following game, with Stefano Pioli in charge, the Knights of Najd picked up their first win in the Champions League. They defeated Al-Rayyan 2-1 at home with Ronaldo scoring his side's second goal in the encounter after Sadio Mane's first-half opener.
Al-Nassr will hope to make it two wins from three games when they clash with Esteghlal. The Saudi club are ranked fourth in the west region of the tournament.
