"He always assists Ronaldo", "Finally" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate starts against Al-Riyadh
Several Al-Nassr fans on social media welcomed the inclusion of Abdulrahman Ghareeb alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in Al-Nassr's league clash against Al-Riyadh. Stefano Pioli's side will look to get their sixth win of the league season at the Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium on November 8.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb starts alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Anderson Talisca in the frontline. Stefano Pioli has gone with the double pivot of Marcelo Brozovic and Otavio in the midfield. Nawaf Boushal, Mohamed Simakan, Ali Lajami, and Sultan Al-Ghannam will man the backline for the Knights of Najd against Al-Riyadh. Finally, Bento will be the man in between the sticks.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Cristiano Ronaldo are known to have good on-field chemistry. The two have eight joint goal contributions in 62 games for the Knights of Najd. Out of them, the Saudi winger has assisted six goals scored by Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has returned the favor twice.
Many fans hopped on to X to talk about Abdulrahman Ghareeb's inclusion in the starting XI. Some popular reactions are as follows:
"Ghareeb starting is good he always assists to Ronaldo. Not selfish usually," commented a fan on X.
"Finally Ghareeb," opined another.
"Ghareeb starting = Cristiano goal," wrote another fan.
"Ghareeb when started has not been half good as he is when he comes in as a sub. I hope the opposite," wrote another.
One fan predicted that the game would not be challenging for Al-Nassr, writing:
"Should be a easy win"
"I don't even have the will to watch the game tbh feels sleepy at times agitated f*cking hell," declared another.
The upcoming clash between Al-Nassr and Al-Riyadh will be the 17th clash across competitions. The two have met 16 times before, with Al-Nassr registering nine wins. Al-Riyadh have won five, and two have ended in stalemates.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr will miss the services of star defender Aymeric Laporte against Al-Riyadh
The Knights of Najd will have to face Al-Riyadh without their star centre-back Aymeric Laporte on November 8. The Spaniard has been pivotal for his side, popping up with three crucial goals in 15 games across competitions this season.
According to a report from the club, the former Manchester City man will not feature in the game because of undisclosed health problems.
Laporte has recorded an impressive passing accuracy of 93% in the Saudi Pro League this season with an average of 4.2 balls recovered per game. His defensive displays, along with his clutch contributions in the attack, have made him one of the most crucial players in the side this season.
(The abovementioned statistics are taken from Sofascore. The website is privately owned and may change the data according to its prerogative.)
However, the Spaniard has been included in the national team's squad by Luis de la Fuente for the upcoming international break.