Cristiano Ronaldo and im Al-Nassr side dey prepare for important match against Al Shabab for SHG Arena on Thursday. Di visitors dey top of Saudi Pro League table with 79 points, just two points ahead of Al Hilal with three matches remaining. Dis match go be crucial for Al-Nassr to maintain dia lead before dem face Al Hilal on May 12 wey go likely decide di title.
Al Shabab, wey dey 13th place with 32 points, no too dey fear relegation but dia form don poor. Dem don win only one of dia last six matches for all competitions, and dem draw four and lose one of dia last four league games. Di White Lions score five goals for those league matches but concede 10, and dem keep only one clean sheet for 11 top-flight games. For home, Al Shabab don suffer two defeats for dia last four league matches, with only one victory for SHG Arena for dat period.
Ronaldo join Al-Nassr from Manchester United for January 2023, but di club finish second for 2022-23, second for 2023-24, and third for 2024-25. Dem no fit win di title dis weekend, but e dey important to maintain dia lead over Al Hilal. When Al-Nassr face Al Shabab for di reverse fixture for January, dem emerge as 3-2 winners, and dat be dia seventh win for 10 meetings with dia opponents.
Coach Jorge Jesus oversee a 3-1 loss on Sunday against Al Qadsiah, wey be di first time di club fail to win for 17 top-flight outings. Al-Nassr score at least two goals for 12 of those matches, and dem also net at least two goals for seven of dia last nine away contests for di league, a period wey dem claim three points on eight occasions.
For Al Shabab, Yannick Carrasco and Abderrazak Hamdallah go lead di attack, with help from wide players Ali Al-Azaizeh and Josh Brownhill. Ali Al Asmari and Yacine Adli fit dey used for double pivot ahead of central defenders Ali Al-Bulayhi and Mohammed Al Shwirekh. Ronaldo dey certain to lead di line for Al-Nassr, but im go need support from Sadio Mane and Kingsley Coman, though Mane dey slight doubt. Marcelo Brozovic fit start for midfield next to Abdullah Al-Khaibari. Centre-back Mohamed Simakan go make im 27th league start, and im go partner Abdulelah Al Amri for backline.
Al Shabab possible starting lineup: Grohe; Al-Thani, Al Shwirekh, Al-Bulayhi, Balobaid; Al-Azaizeh, Al Asmari, Adli, Brownhill; Hamdallah, Carrasco. Al-Nassr possible starting lineup: Bento; Martinez, Alamri, Simakan, Boushal; Brozovic, Al-Khaibari; Mane, Felix, Coman; Ronaldo.
Di erratic form of di hosts make e difficult to back anything other than an away victory, even despite di fact Al-Nassr lose last time out. However, di pressure of di title race entering im final weeks fit make di match tense, and e no go surprise if di visitors experience significant difficulties.
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