Ronaldo receives unexpected bad news at Al Nassr

According to Arab media reports, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be able to team up with an important Al Nassr player before the upcoming match against Al Ittihad.

Cristiano Ronaldo has started the 2025/26 season brilliantly with Al Nassr, as the team is soaring with a 10-match winning streak. However, before the crucial encounter with Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad at 1:00 AM on October 29 (Vietnam time), the Portuguese superstar is expected to lose a key figure in the squad.

After a disappointing loss in the Saudi Super Cup final on penalties earlier this season, Al Nassr has bounced back strongly with impressive form across all competitions, from the Saudi Pro League, the King’s Cup to the AFC Champions League Two. However, in the upcoming round of 16 against Al Ittihad, coach Jorge Jesus’s team will miss a crucial “midfield boss.”

According to journalist Ali Alabdallah, midfielder Marcelo Brozović has been excluded by coach Jorge Jesus from the squad list for the match against Al Ittihad. Although the Croatian star trained with the team on October 27, the Portuguese coach decided to rest him to avoid the risk of re-injury.

Brozović suffered an injury during the game against Al Fateh on October 18, leaving the field at the 19th minute to be replaced by Abdullah Al-Khaibari. Subsequent medical tests revealed a minor groin muscle tear. Since then, the Croatian midfielder—who has played almost every match for Al Nassr this season—has missed two games against FC Goa and Al Hazem. In the next match, the midfield duties are likely to be handled by the duo Abdullah Al-Khaibari and Angelo, while Ronaldo’s team will have to compete without one of their most experienced players.

With the additions of Kingsley Coman, João Félix, and Iñigo Martínez, along with coach Jorge Jesus on the sidelines, Al Nassr is expected to compete for all titles this season. In fact, they have demonstrated this ambition since their Super Cup defeat.

In the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr is currently the only team with a perfect record in all six matches, scoring 21 goals and conceding only twice. They are also leading their group in the AFC Champions League Two and remain contenders in the King’s Cup. Notably, Ronaldo and his teammates have already beaten Benzema’s Al Ittihad twice this season with scores of 2-1 in the Super Cup semifinal and 2-0 away in the league, entering the upcoming match as strong favorites to win.

Related articles

Messi vs Ronaldo: Who is the king of El Clasico?The biggest club football match will take place this weekend as Real Madrid hosts their archrival Barcelona at Santiago Bernabéu in the first El Clásico of the season. See more