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Al-Nassr fans are fretting after seeing Aymeric Laporte on the bench in the Saudi Pro League side's starting lineup to face Yokohama in the AFC Champions League Elite. The Knights of Najd are in action at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal stadium tonight for the quarter-final encounter in the competition.
Prolific forward Cristiano Ronaldo leads the side from the front but their supporters are dismayed to see Laporte on the bench.
The Spaniard has been a crucial member of the Al-Nassr squad since joining from Manchester City, forming a bedrock of their defense. In the current season, he's made 28 appearances despite sustaining a couple of injuries.
For tonight's game against Yokohama, Laporte was widely expected to start, given the high stakes of the clash. But much to everyone's surprise, he was named on the bench as head coach Stefano Pioli has gone with the centre-back pairing of Ali Lajami and Mohamed Simakan for tonight's fixture.
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Fans made no secret of their apprehensions ahead of the kick-off, taking to X to share their feelings.
One user wrote:
"Why is Laporte on the bench"
"Laporte ???"
Another user hoped that Al-Nassr doesn't trail in the game before half-time:
Remkey followed up with a similar question:
"Laporte ??…"
Another X user wrote:
"where is Laporte?"
An X account wrote:
And finally, one fan appeared to be resigned to fate as they tweeted:
Al-Nassr are looking to reach the Champions League semi-finals after four years
Al-Nassr are aiming to reach the AFC Champions semi-finals for the first time since 2020-21 season, when they were ousted by local rivals Al-Hilal in the last-four.
Last year, they lost out in the quarter-finals as Al Ain beat them 6-5 on penalties. The Knights of Najd will be looking to go one better this time around, especially with Ronaldo in such great form.
However, Yokohama are no pushovers. The Japanese outfit finished atop the East Region standings with six wins from seven in the first round and boast a menacing attacking squad.
