Al-Nassr Rests Cristiano Ronaldo for Asian Champions League Match Against Pakhtakor
The Saudi club left the Portuguese star off the roster for the fixture in Uzbekistan to manage his workload amidst a heavy schedule.
Al-Nassr decided to leave Cristiano Ronaldo off its roster for the Asian Champions League fixture against Pakhtakor at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Despite the forward's stellar form—which included a recent hat-trick in the Saudi Pro League—club manager Ange Postecoglou chose to rest the Portuguese veteran to reduce his physical workload.
Along with Ronaldo, the coaching staff also omitted Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan from the squad traveling to Uzbekistan. The decision aims to protect the players from fatigue during a demanding calendar featuring multiple long-distance trips throughout the continental campaign.
The Saudi side enters the fourth round of the Asian Champions League looking to climb the standings in the western group. Al-Nassr sits outside the top eight positions required to advance to the next phase, though the team has played one fewer match than most of its direct competitors in the group stage.
Al-Nassr's continental campaign has featured mixed results so far, including a heavy four-goal defeat against Al Ain and a victory over Neftchi Farg’ona. Following the loss to Al Ain, the squad rebounded strongly by stringing together a series of victories across competitions, culminating in a high-scoring win against Al Kholood in domestic play.
On the opposing side, Pakhtakor enters the matchup searching for its first victory in the continental tournament. The Uzbek team accumulated two draws and a defeat in its opening fixtures, including a narrow loss to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the previous round, leaving the club in twelfth place with only two points.
Pakhtakor sits just one point behind Al-Nassr in the group table, creating a high-stakes scenario where the visiting Saudi squad must secure points to avoid an upset. However, they will attempt to accomplish this without their team captain and all-time leading scorer, who remains sidelined in pursuit of reaching career milestones later in the season.