Al-Nassr return to action in the AFC Champions League when they host reigning champions, Al-Ain of the UAE, at Al-Awwal Park on Tuesday.
Both teams met in the quarter-finals on Al-Ain's route to last season's triumph, with the visitors advancing via penalties after a 4-4 aggregate scoreline over both legs.
Match preview
Al-Nassr head into this clash on the back of a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, which leaves them in third place with 19 points, six points behind table-topping Al-Hilal after nine matches.
Talisca scored as early as the first minute, and the Global One could not find a second, before eventually conceding in the 77th minute to make it three straight matches without a win across all competitions.
Al-Nassr now return to action in the Champions League, where they have picked up seven points from their opening three matches, following up the opening-day draw against Al-Shorta with wins over Al-Rayyan and Esteghlal.
Next up for Stefano Pioli's side is the challenge of an opposing side that ended their Champions League campaign last season, and have beaten them twice after 90 minutes in their four previous encounters.
Al-Nassr have won their last three home matches in the Champions League, but a run of two matches across all competitions without a win heading into this clash leaves some doubt in their ability to extend this winning streak.
Reigning champions, Al-Ain, have endured a poor start to the competition this year, drawing their opening fixture before losing the following two, leaving them second to bottom in the table.
The Boss were involved in one of the most dramatic Champions League matches of all time in their last outing, eventually losing 5-4 at home against Al-Hilal despite restoring parity twice in the game.
The UAE side represented the AFC at the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, but it ended poorly for them, as they lost 3-0 to Al Ahly on Tuesday, which saw them exit the competition.
Winless in their last three matches across all competitions, Al-Ain will hope to record a second win away at Al-Nassr to end this run, while also giving them a first Champions League win of the season.
However, the last time that the Boss won an away game after 90 minutes in this competition was in December 2023 – they have drawn one and lost four such matches since then.
Team News
Al Nassr have just one injury absentee for this match in the form of Sami Al-Najei, who is set to miss the remainder of the season after recently undergoing cruciate ligament surgery.
Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score in his last three matches across all competitions, a drought he will be hoping to end on Tuesday.
Al Ain are injury-free heading into this clash, leaving the manager with a wealth of options to choose from.
Soufiane Rahimi bagged a hat-trick in the Champions League defeat to Al Hilal, taking his tally in this competition to four in five games, making him the man to watch for the visitors.
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Bento; Al-Ghannam, Simakan, Laporte, Boushal; Alkhaibari, Brozovic; Otavio, Talisca, Mane; Ronaldo
Al-Ain possible starting lineup:
Eisa; Al-Ahbabi, Cardoso, Autonne, Erik; Park, Nader; Baloushi, Romero, Palacios; Rahimi
We say: Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Ain
Al-Ain are enduring a turbulent start to the season and have been poor on their travels in this competition, and this is why we are predicting a win for Al-Nassr, who have been impressive in this competition this season.
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