Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo possibly playing without teammate in SPL match against Al-Akhdoud

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr could be without Aymeric Laporte for their league game against Al-Akhdoud on Friday (24 November). Laporte signed for the Saudi Pro League outfit from Manchester City for €27.5 million this summer. Laporte, who has played 14 times across competitions for his new club, was left out of Al-Nassr’s last game before the November international break due to an apparent injury problem. He was also left out of the Spain national squad for their fixtures in November due to a foot injury that required stitches. According to a Saudi journalist, Laporte was absent from Al-Nassr’s training session on 23 November, indicating that he is still not match-fit and could miss the game against the 16th-placed SPL side. The 29-year-old has yet to lose a game since his switch to the Middle East, and his team have conceded two or more goals in a game just thrice when he has played.

Al-Nassr are doing really well this season, and Cristiano Ronaldo is a major reason behind their sublime form. The Portuguese superstar has scored 16 goals and registered nine assists in 17 games across competitions, with 13 goals and seven assists in 12 SPL games. The team sits in second position with 31 points from 13 matches, four points behind Al-Hilal. Al-Nassr have lost just twice across competitions this season, with one of those losses coming when Ronaldo was left out of the matchday squad. Cristiano Ronaldo has also performed well in the AFC Champions League group stages, where Al-Nassr sits on top in Group E with 12 points from four matches, with three goals and an assist from Ronaldo.