After Cristiano Ronaldo sat out Al Nassr's opening match of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite marketing campaign a fortnight in the past, all eyes shall be on them once they return to continental motion on Monday at house to Qatar's Al Rayyan.
The Saudi Pro League giants had been unable to kick issues off with victory again on Sept. 16 as they had been held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Al Shorta — relinquishing a 14th-minute lead handed to them by Sultan Al-Ghannam simply ten minutes later after which failing to real the opposition purpose for the the rest of the contest.
That night, Ronaldo was absent by way of sickness however he has began and scored penalties in each their league outings since — towards Al Ettifaq and Al Wehda — whereas being rested in a midweek King's Cup towards second-tier Al Hazem.
It shall be fascinating to see if Ronaldo will make his continental bow for the season on Monday particularly contemplating Al Nassr lacked a innovative final trip towards Al Shorta, regardless of nonetheless boasting loads of firepower up entrance in the likes of Sadio Mané, Anderson Talisca and the up-and-coming Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
Monday's tie towards Al Rayyan may also mark the first continental outing for brand new Al Nassr coach Stefano Pioli, who changed Luis Castro after the draw in their final ACL Elite outing and has promptly led them to a few straight victories to revive their season.
Al Nassr had been the just one from Saudi Arabia's representatives that failed to start their ACL Elite marketing campaign with a win however Al Ahli shall be one other facet hoping for enchancment once they go to Al Wasl of United Arab Emirates.
A dominant win over Persepolis seemed on the playing cards two weeks in the past when Franck Kessié fired them forward inside the opening two minutes, nevertheless it was not lengthy earlier than the Iranian guests pressured their method into the contest.
Ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy was required to make a handful of good saves to maintain the opposition at bay, earlier than Riyad Mahrez then spurned a wonderful alternative to successfully kill off the contest when he had a penalty saved.
Ultimately, the win was nonetheless a optimistic begin however Al Ahli shall be conscious they will actually fare higher for all the expertise at their disposal, which additionally others such as Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney and Merih Demiral.
The one Saudi Arabian outfit that didn't fail to reside as much as expectations in the opening spherical of fixtures had been unsurprisingly Al Hilal.
As the event's document four-time champions, Al Hilal are confirmed performers on the continent's greatest stage and have coped admirably effectively in the long-term absence of Neymar — who's edging ever so nearer to full health after virtually a yr on the sidelines.
Fielding a beginning XI that had simply two non-foreigners, Al Hilal overpowered Al Rayyan in a 3-1 triumph a fortnight in the past.
There was a primary purpose for João Cancelo since his transfer from Manchester City, whereas a fellow huge identify in Sergej Milinković-Savić additionally obtained on the scoresheet.
But the one who arguably shone the brightest that night was the lesser-known Marcos Leonardo, who continues to be solely 21 however was already taking part in for Portuguese Liga powerhouses Benfica earlier than being lured to the SPL.
Like Neymar, Marcos Leonardo can also be a Santos academy graduate and his dynamic show as in the No. 10 function towards Al Rayyan suggests he might become a real playmaking expertise — one who could also be ok to be his compatriot's long-term successor not only for membership but additionally nation.
