It’s fair to say that Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr have found their groove.
Given the freedom by the Saudi government to spend as much as they pleased in the summer after the country’s Public Investment Fund took control, Al Nassr quickly went about building a squad capable of matching fellow free-spenders Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, and Al Ahli.
Ronaldo’s side missed out on the Saudi Pro League title last season to Nuno Espirito Santo’s Al Ittihad, but the additions of Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, Otavio, and Aymeric Laporte has left Al Nassr boasting a squad capable of usurping the current champions.
And after a difficult start to the season, in which they suffered back-to-back defeats to inferior opposition, Al Nassr have rattled off ten straight wins to leave them in strong positions in three competitions.
Here’s when you can catch Ronaldo and company next in action after their AFC Champions League win on Monday.
It’s been a hectic start to Al Nassr’s season, with the Saudi club consistently playing twice a week.
After beating the mighty Istiklol of Tajikistan 3-1 on Monday night to ensure they started their Champions League campaign with back-to-back wins, Al Nassr are next in action on Friday 6 October as they face Abha in the Saudi Pro League. Kick-off is scheduled for 16:00 (BST).
Abha, whose only notable foreign figure is Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, currently sit 16th in the table having lost four on the bounce.
Then, finally, they’ll earn some respite as their next fixture isn’t scheduled for 21 October at home to mid-table Damac.
Ronaldo has been a consistent figure in the Al Nassr starting XI after missing their first league defeat of the season on Matchday 1. He’s started every game so far this term apart from their 5-1 win over Ohod Club in the first round of the King’s Cup.
The superstar forward has also enjoyed a prolific start to the campaign as he leads the Saudi Pro League scoring charts through seven games, scoring ten times. After drawing a blank on his first appearance of the season, Ronaldo has scored in every game since.
The floodgates opened with a hat-trick against Al Fateh before he notched braces in wins over Al Shabab and Al Ahli.
On Monday night, Ronaldo scored his first AFC Champions League goal of the season in the win over Istiklol.
The Al Nassr skipper has been complemented by Mane in attack, with the former Liverpool and Bayern star scoring six times in eight Saudi Pro League appearances to sit joint-second in the scoring charts.
READ MORE ON THE UNBELIEVABLE WAGES ON OFFER IN SAUDI ARABIA
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
90Mins
