Cristiano Ronaldo misses Al Nassr AFC Champions League action against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor on Monday as coach Ange Postecoglou rests the Portuguese superstar amid a demanding schedule and growing security concerns affecting football competitions across Asia.
Ronaldo has been excluded from Al Nassr’s travelling squad after recently scoring a hat-trick in the Saudi Pro League, taking his career goals for club and country to 985.
The decision comes as Al Nassr prepare for another continental assignment following the postponement of their previous match and continuing uncertainty surrounding the security situation in Saudi Arabia.
Postecoglou confirmed that Ronaldo was not the only key player being rested, with Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan also left out of the squad for the trip to Tashkent.
The coach explained that the decision reflected the physical demands placed on his players by repeated matches and extensive travelling.
Speaking at a news conference in Uzbekistan, Postecoglou said the three players were rested “given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved.”
Al Nassr seek recovery after disappointing continental start
Al Nassr face increasing pressure to improve their position in the AFC Champions League after making a difficult start to the competition.
The Saudi Arabian club currently occupy ninth place in the western section, making them the lowest-ranked of the country’s five representatives in the 32-team tournament.
Only the eight highest-placed teams in each regional group will advance to the knockout stage, leaving Al Nassr with work to do if they are to progress.
Despite the disappointing beginning, Postecoglou believes his players have made considerable progress in their preparation and overall readiness.
“Despite the difficult start, the preparation conditions, and the lack of complete readiness at the beginning of the season, we have now reached an excellent stage,” he said.
The coach will therefore be looking for other members of his squad to deliver a strong performance in Ronaldo’s absence.
For a club determined to win its first Asian continental title, securing positive results in the remaining group fixtures will be essential.
Ronaldo’s experience and goalscoring ability make him a major asset, but the decision to rest him suggests that Al Nassr are also considering the physical demands of a long season.
The immediate challenge is to remain competitive in Asia while managing the fitness of players expected to shoulder significant responsibilities across multiple competitions.
Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 goals continues
Although Ronaldo will not feature against Pakhtakor, his remarkable individual goalscoring pursuit remains one of the major talking points surrounding his season.
His recent hat-trick in the Saudi Pro League increased his career tally to 985 goals for club and country, leaving him 15 short of the extraordinary 1,000-goal milestone.
The Portuguese forward has continued to score regularly despite advancing in age, maintaining his ambition to reach a target few players in football history have approached.
His absence from Monday’s fixture, however, means he will have to wait for another opportunity to add to his tally.
The decision also follows a disrupted schedule for Al Nassr, whose previous AFC Champions League match against Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates was postponed after the visiting team declined to travel to Riyadh.
Consequently, Ronaldo was also given time off during the previous week as the club adjusted to the interruption.
Al Nassr’s last home match in the continental competition, on October 12, was delayed by an hour following reports of missile attacks involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Those incidents have contributed to wider concerns about the security environment surrounding football events in the region.
Saudi security concerns threaten Asian football calendar
The circumstances surrounding Al Nassr’s campaign extend beyond the club’s immediate sporting problems, with regional security concerns raising questions about upcoming international competitions.
Saudi Arabia is scheduled to host the Asian Cup, which is due to begin on January 7. However, uncertainty over the regional situation has prompted questions about whether the tournament can proceed as originally planned.
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, president of the Japan Football Association, expressed doubts about the feasibility of staging the competition under the current circumstances.
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“Based on what I’ve learned from the news, the situation is still unsafe, so at this point, I don’t think it would be easy to hold the [Asian] Cup there,” Miyamoto said at an AFC Congress last month.
His comments underline the concerns facing organisers as they assess whether the security situation could affect teams, officials, supporters and other participants.
Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, however, indicated that the governing body was prepared to monitor developments before making a final decision.
“We can wait until the end of November,” Salman said.
“Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens.”
He added: “If we need to make a decision then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to.”
Saudi organisers have maintained that preparations are continuing according to schedule. Kick-off times and venues for all matches were finalised last week.
Nevertheless, the possibility of a postponement remains part of the wider discussion about the impact of regional instability on Asian football.
Al Ahli and Al Hilal continue their campaigns
While Al Nassr prepare for their fixture without Ronaldo, other Saudi clubs are also pursuing success in the continental competition.
Al Ahli, winners of the previous two Asian titles, sit third in their group ahead of an away encounter against Qatar’s Al Sadd.
The Jeddah club suffered a heavy 6-1 home defeat on Friday but are expected to have England striker Ivan Toney available for the upcoming match.
Toney, who has scored 13 league goals this season, returned to London last week to attend court, where he pleaded not guilty to an assault charge.
Al Hilal, meanwhile, have enjoyed a stronger domestic run, winning five consecutive Saudi Pro League matches to move to the top of the standings.
England forward Ollie Watkins scored for the Riyadh club during its latest victory, helping maintain the team’s momentum.
The four-time Asian champions are scheduled to host Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates as they pursue further success on the continental stage.
The contrasting fortunes of the Saudi clubs underline the competitive demands facing teams attempting to balance domestic ambitions with the AFC Champions League.
For Al Nassr, the priority is to improve their continental position while ensuring that important players remain physically prepared for the decisive stages of the season.
Ronaldo’s omission is therefore a significant selection decision, but the club will hope that squad rotation allows them to remain competitive despite the demanding circumstances.
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