Al-Nassr will hope to find top gear again in the Saudi Pro League when they face Al-Ettifaq at Al Awwal Park at King Saud University on Friday evening.
After lifting the Arab Club Champions Cup in the summer, Al-Nassr kicked off their Pro League campaign in horrendous fashion, falling to damaging defeats against Al-Ettifaq and Al-Taawoun in their opening two games.
However, since then, Luis Castro’s side have been almost perfect, both domestically and in Asia. The wind was taken out of their sails somewhat when they lost 3-0 to league leaders Al-Hilal in what could go on to be the title decider.
The Knights of Najd got back on track in the league with a 4-1 victory over Al-Riyadh last time out. But they are now 10 points cut adrift of table-toppers Al-Hilal, albeit having played a game less. The hosts’ just cannot afford another slip-up between now and the end of the season if they are to keep their title hopes alive.
Al-Ettifaq, meanwhile, are winless in their last seven matches across all competitions and were comfortably dispatched 2-0 by Al-Taawoun last time out. As a result, the Knights of Ad-Dahna have dropped to eighth place in the Saudi Pro League table, a whopping ten points adrift of the top four.
Steven Gerrard’s men had their backs against the wall for large spells of the contest in the defeat to Al-Taawoun. And coming up next is a similar challenge against a superior outfit battling it out at the top end of the table. The Commandos can take solace from the fact that they came out on top 2-1 against Al-Nassr in the reverse league fixture back in August.
Team News and Tactics
Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr’s prolific Brazilian attacker Anderson Talisca was suspended for the King’s Cup quarter-final victory against Al-Shabab after he received a straight red card in the Round of 16 tie against Al-Ettifaq. He will be back in contention here.
Alex Telles is dealing with a muscle injury and is a major doubt, while Nawaf Al-Boushal has some physical discomfort and will be assessed before the match. David Ospina is the only long-term injury absentee for this match, which could see Nawaf Alaqidi continue between the sticks for the hosts after Raghed Al-Najjar was left out on the bench in the last match.
Luis Castro may continue to stick with his preferred 4-3-3 system, with Seko Fofana and Marco Brozovic looking to set the tempo from the engine room. It goes without saying that talismanic striker and captain Cristiano Ronaldo will operate as the central striker, flanked by the lethal wing duo of Talisca and Sadio Mane, and supplied by creative Portuguese compatriot Otavio.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alaqidi; Al-Ghannam, Al-Oujami, Laporte, Ahmed; Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo
Al-Ettifaq
Al Ettifaq will likely remain without Brazilian winger Vitinho, who has been out with a long-term tendon issue since September. However, Demarai Gray could return to the starting lineup after completing his suspension for receiving his marching orders in the draw against Al-Shabab.
The former Everton speedster will likely be joined in a front-three by former Liverpool star Georginio Wijnaldum, who has chipped in with six goals in his 13 appearances so far this season following a summer arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
Forward Moussa Dembele, who has hit seven goals in 10 Saudi Pro League games and nine in 11 appearances in all competitions so far this term, is set to spearhead the line ahead of veteran Robin Quaison again for the Commandos, having recently made his comeback from an injury layoff to start against Al-Taawoun last time out.
Behind them, former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will continue to play a key role in the engine room, while Abdullah Al-Khateeb, Marcel Tisserand, and Jack Hendry should line up in an unchanged back three, protecting Brazilian keeper Paulo Victor.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Victor; Khateeb, Tisserand, Hendry; Al Shammrani, Hazzazi, Henderson, Al-Otaibi; Wijnaldum, Dembele, Gray
Key Stats
- Steven Gerrard’s men are winless in their last seven league fixtures and previously lost 1-0 to Al-Nassr in the Round of 16 of the King Cup.
- In the past 11 games between these two sides, Al-Nassr have won five, with Al-Ettifaq coming out on top twice, while the remaining four were draws.
- Al-Nassr are unbeaten in their last seven home games (W6 D1).
- Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo has netted five times in his last five Saudi Pro League outings.
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 26th goal of the season as Al-Nassr swept aside rivals Al-Shabab to reach the semi-finals of the Saudi King Cup. Ronaldo scored his side’s fourth in a 5-2 victory. It was his 26th goal in 28 games for the Saudi Pro League club so far this season.
It took the prolific Portuguese to 50 goals for the calendar year, the eighth time he has managed that feat. That is some way short of his best return, set in 2013 when the then-Real Madrid striker netted an incredible 69 goals for club and country.
But it shows once again that he is one of the fittest footballers to ever grace the sport. Currently sitting on 16 goals from 15 league games, Ronaldo will look to strengthen his grip at the top of the league’s scoring charts even further here.
Prediction
Al-Nassr 3-1 Al-Ettifaq
Al-Ettifaq have struggled for goals of late, but we are backing them to at least return to the scoresheet against an Al-Nassr side currently short of defensive stability, having shipped seven goals from their last four games.
However, Steven Gerrard’s men have struggled to show their best game and any sort of consistency for a while now. And facing a superior side with a solid home record is not ideal for the visitors. The Hard Tackle can see the hosts coming away with maximum points pretty comfortably at the sound of the final whistle.
