Al-Nassr will aim to close the gap to the sides at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings when they welcome Damac to the KSU Stadium on Saturday.
After a two-week international break in the Saudi Pro League schedule, Al-Nassr return to action with a home game as they host tenth-placed Damac at the King Saud University Stadium this weekend.
Al-Nassr’s fabulous ten-match winning romp across all competitions came to an abrupt end against Abha in their most recent league outing prior to the international break, when they blew away a two-goal lead. It also marked their 11th consecutive match without a defeat.
The hosts raced into a two-goal lead inside 28 minutes before Abha pegged them back through Karl Toko Ekambi in stoppage time to share the spoils, leaving them in the third position in the league standings, three points behind second-placed Al-Taawoun.
With one of Al-Ittihad or Al-Taawoun set to drop points this weekend, the Knights of Najd will be eager to bounce back and keep the pressure on leader Al-Hilal. Damac, meanwhile, are currently sitting in mid-table and are unbeaten in three league outings, winning twice.
Having finished eighth in the Saudi top flight last term, it looked like this campaign was going to be a very long one and would feature a relegation scrap after they failed to win any of their first seven league assignments. But after holding Al-Hilal to a 1-1 draw last month, the visitors seem to have turned around a poor start to the campaign under coach Cosmin Contra and now boast solid momentum behind them.
Prior to the international break, Damac defeated rock-bottom Al-Hazm 4-1 at home, with Assan Ceesay, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, and Ahmed Al-Zain all finding the back of the net.
Team News & Tactics
Al-Nassr
#Damac 🔜 pic.twitter.com/DCxePTP76F
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) October 19, 2023
With David Ospina still sidelined due to a long-term elbow injury, Saudi Arabia international goalkeeper Nawaf Alaqidi is expected to keep his spot in between the sticks for Al-Nassr.
Head coach Luis Castro will also be without his first-choice right-back for this match after Khalid Al-Ghannam received a straight red card last time out, which means he will serve the first of his three-match suspension, making way for Nawaf Al-Boushal in the starting XI.
Castro will continue to line his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Marcelo Brozovic and Abdullah Al-Khaibari holding the fort in the engine room, protecting the back four comprising Al-Boushal, Alawjami, Aymeric Laporte, and Alex Telles.
In attack, Cristiano Ronaldo has netted a whopping 11 times in his last ten matches for Al-Nassr, making him definitely one to keep an eye on here alongside his partner-in-crime Sadio Mane, with creative playmaker Otavio pulling the strings from an attacking midfield position.
Anderson Talisca is also in fine goalscoring form for the home side here, as the Brazilian aims to find the back of the net for a sixth game running.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Al Aqidi; Al-Boushal, Ali Lajami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Al-Khaibari, Otavio, Talisca, Mane; Ronaldo
Damac
After their impressive performances before the international break, Damac boss Cosmin Contra could name an unchanged XI for this match. The visitors should again line up in a 4-3-3 shape on Saturday, with Assan Ceesay, who arrived from Lecce over the summer, expected to lead the line having already notched up four goals for the club this season.
🎥 | Enjoyable training in preparation for facing Al-Nasr ♥️🐎.
pic.twitter.com/teskeGgFL3— DAMAC_CLUB (@DAMAC_CLUB_EN) October 19, 2023
He should be joined up front by Abdulaziz Al-Bishi and danger man Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, who has also netted four goals since his recent arrival from Besiktas.
Domagoj Antolic is a mainstay in the engine room and could again be partnered by Tarek Hamed and Nicolae Stanciu, while Contra should deploy an unchanged back-four of Sanousi Hawsawi, Farouk Chafai, Abdelkader Bedrane, and Al-Anazi.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Zeghba; Hawsawi, Chafai, Bedrane, Al Anazi; Hamed, Antolic, Stanciu; Al-Bishi, Ceesay, N’Koudou
Key Stats
- The two teams have met each other nine times across competitions since 2019, with Al-Nassr leading with six victories to Damac’s sole win.
- Al-Nassr have won four straight games against Damac and won 5-1 on aggregate across both league meetings last season.
- The hosts have the joint-best offensive record in the Saudi Pro League this season, scoring 26 goals in nine games.
- After going winless in their opening seven games in all competitions, Damac have won three in a row, scoring eight goals and conceding twice in the process.
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo
Turning 38 years old is hardly a professional footballer’s prime, certainly not for a player who has had an epic playing career, one that has taken in Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United before his Saudi Arabia adventure.
But Ronaldo has taken it as an invitation to raise the bar. Smashing the 40-goal threshold for the year 2023, the Portuguese legend has shown no signs of slowing down.
It has been quite the journey for Ronaldo since his abrupt departure from Old Trafford. Back to full fitness, he is lighting up scoreboards in the Saudi Pro League in the current season, leading the pack with ten goals in just eight games — a tally he will be looking to add to this Saturday.
Prediction
Al-Nassr 4-1 Damac
Despite dropping points in their last league game, Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro will still be fairly pleased with his side’s attacking output, as the hosts have now netted two or more goals in each of their last eight matches across all competitions and are the joint-highest scorers in the league with 26.
With the wind in their sails, we fully expect Ronaldo and co. to run riot once again en route to an emphatic win at the end of the 90 minutes against an improving Damac side.
