Al-Riyadh will host the defending champions Al-Nassr in a Saudi Pro League 2026-27 fixture on Friday. The fixture will see two sides heading into the contest with contrasting starts to their league campaigns. While Al-Nassr began their title defence with a comfortable victory, Al-Riyadh suffered defeat in their opening game.
Al-Riyadh Look To Bounce Back
Al-Riyadh enter the fixture after a disappointing start to their league campaign. Maurício Dulac's side were beaten 4-2 by Al-Ettifaq in their opening Saudi Pro League match on August 14. The team conceded twice late in the game after struggling defensively.
The hosts will now be looking to recover against one of the strongest teams in the competition.
Al-Riyadh did, however, pick up a win in the Saudi King's Cup, beating Al Zufi 2-0, with Leandro Antunes scoring both goals. The Portuguese forward will be one of the players to watch for the home side.
Al-Nassr Start Title Defence With Win
Al-Nassr began the new Saudi Pro League season impressively, beating Al-Fateh 3-0 in their opening game. Angelo Gabriel, Joao Felix and substitute Samu Costa were on the scoresheet as Ange Postecoglou began his league tenure with a comfortable victory.
The defending champions have also started strongly across competitions and are on a two-match winning run, having followed their league victory with a win over Al-Diriyah in the Saudi King's Cup.
Joao Felix has emerged as an early attacking threat for Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward scored in the league opener before adding two more goals and an assist in the King's Cup.
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Will Cristiano Ronaldo Play?
Cristiano Ronaldo's availability remains one of the major talking points ahead of the match as the Portugal captain did not feature in Al-Nassr's opening league game against Al-Fateh and watched the 3-0 victory from the stands, with reports suggesting that Ronaldo had returned late to the team following personal commitments.
His availability for the Al-Riyadh game has not been confirmed at the time of writing this story. A pre-match report has also listed Ronaldo as a doubt because of match fitness, meaning his inclusion should not be assumed until the official team sheet is announced.
CR7 also hinted last week that this could be his final season at the professional level.
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Venue, Match Timing
The Al-Riyadh vs Al-Nassr league match in the Saudi Pro League is scheduled to be played at Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Stadium from 9:30 p.m. Indian Standard Time on Friday.
Predicted Lineups
- Al-Riyadh (4-3-3): Milan Borjan (GK) ; Sultan Al-Essa, Mohammed Al-Khaibari, Rodrigo Abascal, Sulaiman Hazazi, Fahad Al-Jayzani, Faisal Al-Subhi, Bernard Mensah, Teddy Okou, Leandro Antunes, Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet.
- Al-Nassr (4-4-1-1): Bento Matheus Krepski (GK); Nawaf Boushal, Mohamed Simakan, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Iñigo Martínez, Kingsley Coman, Ângelo Gabriel Borges Damaceno, Samú Costa, Sadio Mané, João Félix, Abdullah Al-Hamdana
How To Watch Live Telecast?
There is currently no confirmed Indian television channel listed for this particular fixture.
How To Watch Live Streaming?
The match can be streamed live on the FanCode app and website in India.
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