Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Al-Nassr against Al-Shorta tonight?
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Al-Nassr take on Iraqi outfit Al-Shorta in the semifinals of the Arab Club Champions Cup on Wednesday (August 8). The Saudi Arabian giants will be looking to reach the final and then go on to win their first trophy of the new season.
Al-Nassr qualified for the semifinal after beating Moroccan side Raja Casablanca 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring on that occasion with Sultan Al-Ghannam and new signing Seko Fofana scoring the other two.
Ronaldo has been on a scoring spree in the Arab Club Champions Cup and should therefore continue to lead the attack for his team. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner could be played alongside Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca in attack.
In their game against Raja Casablanca, manager Luis Castro started Ronaldo up front with Mane on the left wing and Talisca on the right. The trio were aided by new signing Marcelo Brozovic, who played in the number 10 position.
It is worth mentioning that Cristiano Ronaldo has started three of the four games in the tournament. He has played the full 90 minutes in each of those three outings and has scored a goal as well.
If Al-Nassr beat Al-Shorta, it would be a guaranteed all-Saudi Arabia final in the Arab Club Champions Cup. The other semifinal in the tournament will be played between Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal.
Al-Shorta, on the other hand, secured a 4-2 victory over Qatari outfit Al-Sadd in their quarterfinal tie. They are also the defending champions of the Iraqi Premier League.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo perform for Al-Nassr in the previous game?
The game against Raja Casablanca was the third match in a row in which Ronaldo found the back of the net. The Portuguese superstar has netted three goals in four appearances in the Arab Club Champions Cup so far.
Ronaldo had a decent outing for Al-Nassr against Raja Casablanca last time around. The former Manchester United star had one shot on target, one blocked and was unfortunate to hit the woodwork once as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a total of 46 touches in the game and ended with a passing accuracy of 76 percent. However, he did lose possession on eight separate occasions in the quarterfinal.
Cristiano Ronaldo is playing in his first full season in Al-Nassr colors. He had a decent campaign last time around, netting 14 goals from 19 games across all competitions.