After securing a bounceback win in their first outing of the year, Al-Nassr travel to Al-Taawoun this Thursday for round 15 of Saudi Pro League.
The Knight of Najd ended 2024 on a bad note, losing their last two matches across all competitions, but snapped that run with a 3-1 league victory against Al Okhdood at Al-Awwal Park last Thursday, leaving them third in the standings, nine adrift of first-placed Al-Hilal and second-placed Al Ittihad.
Match preview
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Al-Nassr were staring down the barrel of a third straight loss when Saviour Godwin scored in the sixth minute to hand their opponents the lead, but a Sadio Mane brace coming either side of Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty ensured a turnaround win.
The veteran attacker, with less than a year left on his contract, has now tallied 11 goals in 13 outings in this season's top flight, placing him just one behind Aleksandar Mitrovic, who leads the Golden Boot race.
Aware of his immense value, the Riyadh-based outfit are keen to keep their most prized asset beyond this season and are reportedly in advanced talks with the 39-year-old, who is set to bag another lucrative deal.
With their latest triumph, Al-Nassr have now collected 28 points from 14 games in the top flight, having won eight, drawn four and lost two.
Half of those victories have come on the road, leaving them with the fourth-best away record in the division, having picked up 13 points from a possible 18.
Al-Nassr will hope this statistic counts for something as they embark on another adventure to the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, where they recorded a 4-1 victory against Al-Taawoun on their last league visit, though triumphs at this ground have not come too often.
A win on Thursday will see Stefano Pioli's side record consecutive away victories against the hosts in the top flight for just the second time ever, having achieved this feat between December 2011 and August 2012, when they emerged 2-1 winners in both encounters.
Al-Taawoun, however, had the last laugh in this fixture, eliminating Al-Nassr in this season's King Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 victory at Al-Awwal Park.
The Wolves themselves saw their journey in the competition come to an end in the next round with a humbling 3-0 loss to Al Qadisiya on home turf on January 7.
That defeat marked a second consecutive setback across all competitions, following a 4-2 league loss to Al Ahli SC in front of their fans, though they snapped that streak in dramatic fashion.
Just four days after their cup exit, Al-Taawoun travelled to the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium and exacted revenge on Al Qadisiya with an identical 3-0 scoreline, restoring pride after that humiliating defeat.
In their dominant revenge win, the Wolves wasted no time getting down to business, with Musa Barrow opening the scoring barely a minute into the game, followed by a Waleed Al-Ahmad strike in the 33rd minute before the former completed his brace in the 75th.
With their latest triumph, Al-Taawoun sit eighth in the standings, having collected 21 points from 14 matches, six adrift of the visitors, who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.
The Sugar of Al-Qassim will hope to make it two wins in a row when they welcome Al-Nassr on Thursday, though back-to-back home defeats across all competitions may dampen their hopes despite four wins from seven top-flight outings on their ground.
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Team News
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Abdullah Al-Khaibari remains sidelined with a muscle tear, with his expected return set for later this month, while long-term absentees Sami Al-Najei (cruciate ligament) and Ayman Yahya (leg) continue their recovery.
Marcelo Brozovic is expected to return to the starting XI after missing the last outing due to accumulated yellow cards.
Ronaldo has netted five goals in his last four league games for Al-Nassr, and the prolific veteran will look to continue his rich vein of form when he leads the line on Thursday.
As for the hosts, Mohammed Mahzari received his marching orders in the 51st minute of their win last time out, making the 22-year-old unavailable as he serves his suspension.
This will force manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena to make adjustments to his five-man backline from the previous game, potentially reverting to a three-man defence with Al-Ahmad, who scored in that match, pairing with Awn Al-Saluli and Andrei Girotto.
Following his brace against Al Qadisiya, Barrow has now tallied nine goals, making him the fourth-highest scorer in the league, and he is expected to lead the line once again on Thursday.
Al-Taawoun possible starting lineup:
Maylson; Al-Ahmad, Al-Saluli, Girotto; Al Nasser, Fajr, El Mahdioui, Bahusayn, Al-Abdulrazzaq, Al Hosawi, Barrow
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Bento; Al Ghanam, Simakan, Laporte, Boushal; Brozovic, Otavio; Angelo, Al Ghareeb, Mane; Ronaldo
We say: Al-Taawoun 1-2 Al-Nassr
With five goals in his last four league games, Ronaldo's form could be pivotal as Al-Nassr seek consecutive league victories.
The Knight of Najd have claimed four wins from six trips in the league, while Al-Taawoun's back-to-back home defeats across all competitions hint at another possible setback for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
