Fresh off the back of an opening-day defeat to Al-Etiffaq, Al-Nassr will search for their first win of the season on Friday evening when they host Al-Taawoun at King Saud University Stadium.
The Saudi Pro League 2023/24 season kicked off last weekend with a flurry of goals, debut performances, and flashy stars. However, Cristiano Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr did not get off to a positive start on the opening day.
The Knights of Najd were beaten 2-1 by Al-Ettifaq, despite going in front early on after kick-off. With injured Ronaldo not fit enough to return from the knock he picked up along the way to winning his first trophy for Al-Nassr in the Arab Club Champions Cup showpiece on Saturday, Sadio Mane led the line and netted the opener after only four minutes on Monday.
Initially, it looked as though that would be a crucial strike against Mane’s ex-Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson in the Al-Ettifaq ranks. However, a quick-fire double after the interval — from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele — handed Steven Gerrard a huge win in his first game at the helm.
Next up for Al-Nassr and Ronaldo is a match with Al-Taawoun on Friday, where they will look to bounce back in style. However, that won’t be an easy task by any means. The visitors finished the 2022/23 season strongly, winning their final seven league games to secure a fifth-place finish.
They could not pick up where they left off when they began the new campaign, playing out a dominant 1-1 draw against Al-Fateh. Led by Brazilian manager Pericles Chamusca, they are well capable of pulling off a surprise here.
Team News & Tactics
Al-Nassr
Preparation begins for Friday’s game 💪 pic.twitter.com/VabxUYXD2y
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) August 16, 2023
Al-Nassr head coach Luis Castro made a raft of changes to his starting XI for the last game and almost completely changed the team that had won the Arab Champions Cup just two days before the Saudi season opener.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, Anderson Talisca, and Alex Telles, among others, were all handed a breather in the 2-1 defeat to Al-Ettifaq. Expect all of them in the starting lineup here, which makes the Knights of Najd huge favourites for this tie.
Ronaldo missed the league opener through injury, but he is expected to recover in time to lead the line against Al-Taawoun, which means Sadio Mane will likely switch across to the left, with Anderson Talisca bombing down the right side of the attack. David Ospina remains out of action with an elbow injury, and Nawaf Al-Aqidi will continue to replace him in between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Al-Aqidi; S. Al-Ghannam, Lajami, Madu, Telles; Al-Khaibari, Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Ronaldo, Mane
Al-Taawoun
Al-Taawoun have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip to Riyadh, and head coach Péricles Chamusca could stick with the same side that started the impressive 1-1 draw against Al Fateh.
Al-Nassr may have a star-studded squad, but this Al-Taawoun team also possesses quality, with four Brazilians in the starting XI. They have made some shrewd additions in the summer transfer window, albeit not as flashy as some other Saudi Pro League clubs.
Brazilian defender Andrei Girotto has arrived from French side Nantes in a deal worth €4 million and even got onto the scoresheet last time out against Al-Fateh, while loan signing from Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, Flávio also made his competitive bow for the club in the same match.
The same goes for tricky Brazilian winger Mateus, who was signed from Japan J1 League outfit Nagoya Grampus for an undisclosed fee. He will continue to operate on the right flank, with another summer addition, Ahmed Bahusayn, manning the opposite flank.
Cameroonian striker Leandre Tawamba, who was the club’s top scorer last season with 10 goals, will once again rely on service from former Real Madrid attacking midfield prodigy Alvaro Medran.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Mailson; Al-Ghamdi, Girotti, Kadesh, Faqeehi; Flavio, Al-Mahdioui, Medran; Mateus, Tawamba, Bahusayn
Key Stats
- Al-Nassr have been the dominant force in the recent history of this fixture, having won four, and lost just once of the last five encounters between the sides.
- Al-Taawoun have never won away to Al-Nassr.
- Al-Nassr have won their last 14 home games against Al-Taawoun.
- In fact, the hosts are unbeaten in their last 21 home matches.
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo
New season, plenty of stardust, but the same old story! Cristiano Ronaldo is still a match-winner for this Al-Nassr team, and perhaps their most clutch performer even in the twilight of his career.
The 38-year-old’s goals were the driving force behind Al-Nassr’s first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup triumph, his first piece of silverware with the Knights of Najd. He scored six times in the competition to finish as its top scorer, en route to winning the Player of the Tournament award.
His five-star display in the final was marred by an unfortunate injury, as Ronaldo had to be carted off the pitch. But he could well be back with a bang in this game. Despite being one of the most decorated players in the history of the game, Ronaldo has not actually won a league title in three years, a drought the Portuguese will be chomping at the bit to bring to an end this season.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had a productive half-season in Riyadh last term, bagging 14 goals, and his team has since bolstered their squad with the likes of Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, and Alex Telles. So he will likely get even more goal-scoring chances and inspire a strong title-charge.
Prediction
Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Taawoun
Al-Nassr may have experienced a setback in their opening league match of the season, succumbing to a loss against Al-Ettifaq. That could be attributed to the fatigue stemming from an intense pre-season schedule and their participation in the Arab Club Champions Cup, with many key players missing the game. With their star names set to return for Friday’s clash, The Hard Tackle expects them to return to winning ways with a 2-1 victory.
