Cristiano Ronaldo is set to sit out Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League clash with Al-Duhail on Tuesday, as the Portuguese superstar is in the midst of a recovery period following a series of strenuous matches.
Al-Nassr’s head coach, Luis Castro, has officially announced Ronaldo’s absence from the upcoming group stage encounter against their Qatari rivals, emphasizing the necessity for the 38-year-old to rejuvenate after a string of demanding matches.
Just last Tuesday, Ronaldo played the entire 120 minutes in Al-Nassr’s 1-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq in the King Cup of Champions. Following that, he marked his 400th goal since turning 30 by netting the opening goal in his team’s 2-0 win over Al Khaleej on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent from Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League match on Tuesday due to fatigue.
Al-Nassr head coach Luis Castro insisted Ronaldo needs to rest after recent matches
Ronaldo found the back of the net in Al-Nassr’s victory over Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.
Castro told a pre-match press conference that Ronaldo ‘needs to rest’ due to fatigue.
”Cristiano Ronaldo will not participate in the Al-Duhail match because he is tired due to his many participations,” Castro said.
”I know that there are those who want to see him, but he needs to rest.”
”He is not ready, but we have many stars.”
”I did not decide to exclude the legend Cristiano Ronaldo, but his capabilities decided that. ”
”Because 48 hours ago he played a match, and before that he played 120 minutes.”
At the halfway point of their Asian Champions League group stage, the Saudi Arabian team is in a commanding position with a perfect record of three wins. Al-Nassr holds a three-point advantage over the Iranian side Persepolis, while Al-Duhail and Istiklol have only secured one point each. A victory in the upcoming match would bring Al-Nassr closer to securing a spot in the last-16 stage of the competition.
It’s worth noting that this won’t be the first time Ronaldo has been given a rest by Al-Nassr recently. The Portuguese football legend was provided a break when his team convincingly defeated Ohod 5-1 in the King Cup of Champions back in September.
Ronaldo has been in top form for Al-Nassr this season, emerging as the team’s leading goal scorer with an impressive 21 goals in 22 matches.