Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr dealt injury blow as key player picks up injury in training - Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates may have to navigate their way past the test of Al-Fayha without one of their key players due to injury. The Saudi Pro League side received news of an injury suffered by defender Aymeric Laporte in the last training session ahead of the game.
Al-Nassr are in fine form and are on a 13-match unbeaten run across all competitions, last losing a match to Al-Taawoun in August. Cristiano Ronaldo has contributed greatly to this run, scoring 14 goals for the side.
While Ronaldo held things up in attack, the defensive job was anchored by Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte, who joined from Manchester City this summer. The 29-year-old has yet to lose a game with Al-Nassr this season, having featured 12 times so far.
Reports from an X (formerly Twitter) user called Al Nassr Zone revealed that he had an injury in training ahead of the weekend. Manager Luis Castro will monitor his situation before making a decision on whether to play him against Al-Fayha or not.
Al-Aalami benefit greatly from the presence of Laporte in their side, having conceded 14 goals in his 12 matches with the club. They have only managed three clean sheets in the matches that the center-back has appeared in.
Al-Nassr spent heavily in 2023, signing players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Laporte, Sadio Mane, Otavio, Alex Telles, and Seko Fofana. They currently occupy fourth spot in the league standings but know that a win will take them to second place.
Cristiano Ronaldo raising the bar in Saudi with performances for Al-Nassr
Despite being over 38 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to age like the proverbial fine wine. His performances over the past 10 months have been a thing of wonder for fans and neutrals, as he has scored almost at will.
When he completed his move to , many assumed Ronaldo had gone to a league where he could take his foot off the gas. However, the Portuguese great has no such interests and has shown this with his consistency for his side.
Many top-level European footballers have made the switch to Saudi in recent months but none has had the impact Cristiano Ronaldo has. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has enjoyed great success this year with 43 goals in 45 appearances for club and country.
With the support of the likes of Anderson Talisca and Mane, Ronaldo has spearheaded an Al-Nassr title charge. The Saudi outfit will hope that he can propel them to unprecedented levels of success this season and beyond.