Al-Nassr and Al-Najma have disclosed their initial lineups for their encounter this Friday at the King Saud University Stadium in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo will feature from the outset for the league leaders, making his comeback after a four-match absence, following the five-time Ballon d’Or recipient sustaining a hamstring strain.
This ailment also led to the Portugal captain being absent from his national team’s fixtures during the recent March international window.
101GreatGoals.com presents the latest team information and initial formations ahead of Al-Nassr’s home game against Al-Najma in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr’s Announced Lineup Against Al Najma
Goalkeeper Mubarak Al-Buainain is sidelined for Al-Nassr due to a knee injury, and likewise, defender Inigo Martinez and winger Kingsley Coman are out with hamstring complaints.
Centre-back Mohamed Simakan (quad) and midfielder Sami Al-Najei (knee) also remain unavailable.
Midfielder Ayman Yahya and forward Joao Felix are serving suspensions. The Portugal international has contributed 15 goals and 11 assists during the current league campaign.
Al-Nassr initial lineup: David Ospina, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Ali Al-Hassan, Ayman Yahya, Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Nassr reserves: Raghed Al-Najjar, Ali Lajami, Mohammed Al-Fatil, Nawaf Boushal, Mohammed Qassem, Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem, Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa, Waleed Hibah, Meshari Al-Nemer
Al Najma’s Complete Lineup Against Al Nassr
Left-back Mohammed Al-Kunaydiri is ruled out for the remainder of Al-Najma’s season due to a knee injury.
Al-Najma secured automatic promotion from the First Division last season but currently find themselves 14 points adrift of safety, having brought in Serbian-British coach Nestor El Maestro in February in a bid to avoid relegation.
Al-Najma initial lineup: To follow
Al-Najma reserves: To follow
Viewing Options for Al Nassr vs Al Najma: TV broadcast, online streams
The match commences at 19:00 GMT (14:00 ET / 11:00 PT) this Friday. In the UK, the official broadcaster for Saudi Arabia’s premier league is the Saudi Pro League YouTube channel.
In the US, FOX Sports serves as the designated live broadcaster for the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr vs Al Najma Statistics
- This marks the second historical encounter between these clubs. Al-Nassr achieved their most significant victory of the campaign when they visited Al-Najma on February 25, securing a 5-0 triumph, with strikes from Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Coman, Martinez, and Ali Al-Hassan.
- Al-Nassr have maintained a shutout in 11 of their last 12 games across all competitions and have remained unbreached in any of their last four home league matches, encompassing more than seven hours of action across those fixtures.
- One of Al-Nassr’s three top-flight losses this season occurred on their home turf.
- Ronaldo’s latest outing for Al-Nassr, during a 3-1 victory against Al-Fayha, marked the first instance in five league fixtures that the 41-year-old failed to find the net, having tallied five goals and one assist in his preceding four similar matches.
- Sadio Mane is seeking to net in a third consecutive appearance for Al-Nassr.
- Al-Najma have languished at the bottom of the standings for the entire season but achieved their inaugural victory of the campaign under El Maestro’s guidance on February 14, defeating Al-Kholood 2-1 on their home ground, with goals from Felippe and former Marseille winger Bilal Boutobba.
- In the five subsequent consecutive losses since then, they have failed to net more than a single goal in any match and suffered a cumulative 19-3 defeat.
- That triumph over Al-Kholood marks the sole instance where Al-Najma have managed to score multiple goals in their last 13 matches, not managing to score in five instances within that period.
- Only second-to-last placed Al-Akhdoud (22) have registered fewer strikes in this season’s premier division than Al-Najma (23).
- Their tally of 61 goals allowed is the poorest in the division. Al-Akhdoud have permitted 57, with no other teams conceding over 49 prior to Friday’s matches.
- Two of Al-Najma’s eight points were earned on the road.