Will Cristiano Ronaldo play against Al Hilal? Fresh injury update on Al Nassr superstar ahead of friendly

According to reports, Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to face Al-Hilal in the Riyadh derby on February 8.

The two Saudi Pro League giants will contest in the final game of the Riyadh Season Cup. Ronaldo missed Knights of Najd's first game against Inter Miami on February 1, which the SPL club won 6-0, courtesy of an Anderson Talisca hat-trick.

Al-Hilal, meanwhile, also won their clash against Inter Miami on January 29 by a score of 3-4.

The two Riyadh sides are now set for a scintillating clash to culminate the mid-season friendly competition. Ronaldo has reportedly recovered from his calf injury which kept him out of the game against the Herons and is expected to play against Al-Hilal.

Journalist Ali Alabdallh previously reported that Ronaldo recently took part in Al-Alami's group training session. He has also been spotted doing some gym work in recent social media clips.

Albeit a friendly game, the anticipation surrounding the Riyadh derby is high. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace when Al-Nassr faced Al-Hilal in the Arab Cup of Champions' final earlier this season.

Al-Alami won that match by a score of 2-1. Jorge Jesus' side, however, registered a dominant 3-0 win when the two teams met in the SPL earlier this season on December 1.

Cristiano Ronaldo's impressive form this season

Cristiano Ronaldo has been flourishing under his countryman Luis Castro at Al-Nassr. The Portugal captain ended 2023 with 54 goals for club and country, the most by any player in the world.

During the 2023-24 season, Ronaldo has netted 24 goals and has provided 11 assists in 25 matches. Ronaldo has 20 league goals from 18 matches and is currently the SPL's leading scorer. With the season set to resume soon, their club captain back in action for the friendly against Al-Hilal is a massive boost for Al-Nassr.