The key facts

  • Ronaldo, Simakan and Coman are not included in the squad for the trip to Tashkent
  • The Pakhtakor — Al-Nassr match will take place on November 2 at 18:45 at the Pakhtakor Stadium
  • Al-Nassr sit 9th with 3 points, Pakhtakor are 12th with 2 points

Ronaldo misses the match in Tashkent

Saudi Al-Nassr arrived in Tashkent on October 31 for the AFC Champions League Elite third-round match against Pakhtakor, but the star Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo is not in the delegation. As reported by the Saudi outlet Arriyadiyah, which is also cited by Zamon.uzand Kun.uz, head coach Ange Postecoglou did not include, besides Ronaldo, defender Mohammed Simakan and forward Kingsley Coman in the squad for the trip to Uzbekistan. Their place in the squad was taken, in particular, by 18-year-old forward Abdulrahman Sufyani; also called up to the squad were goalkeepers Abdulhadi Al-Alwan and Abdulrahman Al-Utaybi, Rakan Al-Ghamdi and Awad Aman.

A surprise for the fans

Ronaldo's visit had generated great interest among Tashkent fans: demand for match tickets rose due to his expected visit, Kun.uz notes. Now spectators will not see the Portuguese at the stadium, but according to the outlet, Senegalese forward Sadio Mane is expected to start for Al-Nassr. Interestingly, according to earlier reports, Coman, despite the injury sustained in the match against Neftchi, had already returned to general group training, and Simakan had recovered and was fit to play — yet both were left out of the squad for this trip.

Match context and standings

The club's delegation flew to the capital of Uzbekistan on a private plane from Al-Ahsa International Airport. The match will take place on November 2 at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium, kicking off at 18:45. In the tournament's western region, Al-Nassr sit 9th with 3 points from one win and one loss (their third-round match against Al-Wasl was postponed), while Pakhtakor, according to Kun.uz, have 2 points after three rounds and are 12th. In the last round of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Nassr thrashed Al-Khulud 5:3 — Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and Joao Felix provided four assists. After the match in Tashkent, the team will immediately head to the Al-Qassim region, where on November 6 they will face Al-Hazem in the national championship.