Al-Nassr, under the leadership of their veteran Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, is seeking their first title in the Arab Club Championship in football. They are set to face their traditional rivals Al-Hilal on Saturday at the King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Al-Hawiyah, Riyadh. Al-Hilal, the title holders of 1994 and 1995, will be their opponents in this high-stakes match.
This match will mark the conclusion of the championship, which commenced on July 27th last month and was hosted by Saudi Arabia in the cities of Abha, Taif, and Al-Baha.
During the tournament, Saudi Arabian clubs, represented by Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Shabab, tested their newly acquired international stars, following a significant upheaval in the summer transfer window.
Both teams are striving to secure a symbolic title despite exhaustion from preparations for the Saudi Arabian league season, which commences on Friday, featuring 18 teams for the first time (compared to 16 last season), with each team permitted to field eight foreign players.
Al-Nassr had a rollercoaster start, drawing goalless against Al-Shabab, then securing a 4-1 victory over Tunisia's Monastir. They barely secured a quarter-final spot with a late draw against Zamalek (1-1), thanks to Ronaldo (38 years old), who joined the team in January in a deal estimated at €400 million for two and a half seasons.
In the knockout stages, five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo played a pivotal role in propelling "Al-Nassr" to the final, eliminating the defending champions, Moroccan side Raja Casablanca, in the quarter-finals (3-1). He later scored a decisive late penalty goal against Iraqi side Police, placing him at the top of the tournament's leading goal scorers list (4 goals). This positioned him ahead of French player Karim Benzema, the Best Player in the World for 2022, who also made a high-profile move to Saudi club Al-Ittihad Jeddah.
As for Ronaldo, the former star of Real Madrid and Manchester United, Al-Nassr, under the management of Portuguese coach Luis Castro, signed Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, Croatian midfielders Marcelo Brozovic and Ivorian Seko Fofana, and Brazilian left-back Alex Telles. They will be without the services of defender Abdullah Madu due to injury.
Castro stated after the victory over Police in the semi-finals, "I will never promise anything. The only thing I promise is that we will work hard. We put in a lot of effort to reach the final. We worked hard both physically and mentally, and we will continue our work."
Castro emphasized the fatigue his team has experienced even before the anticipated league start, saying, "We played several matches (in the Arab Championship), two in Japan and four in Portugal. Al-Nassr is almost playing every other day, in addition to traveling from Portugal to Japan and then Taif, playing a match just ten hours later. We completed a month and a week, with the players far away from their families and cities, but we have champion players, and I am proud of them."
Regarding the upcoming match, he added, "This is our life in football; we must live under pressure. We know that recovery is difficult, but we will try. Our focus and thoughts are on the first match of the league."
Al-Nassr will kick off their Saudi league journey against Al-Ittihad next Monday as they seek to improve their performance from the previous season behind Al-Ittihad. Meanwhile, Al-Hilal will face Abha in their opening match.
Al-Hilal's Search for a Striker
In contrast, Al-Hilal had a more challenging start. They drew goalless against Libyan side Al-Ahli Tripoli, followed by a late 2-3 defeat to Qatari side Al-Sadd.
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus relied on his new signings, Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Portuguese forward Robin Neves, to secure a 2-1 win over Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca and secure qualification.
However, in the quarter-finals, Al-Hilal faced little difficulty in defeating Al-Ittihad 3-1, with goals from Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al-Dawsari, and Brazilian forward Malcom. They then overcame Al-Shabab 3-1 in the semi-finals, even though they played with ten men from the 25th minute due to the red card of goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf, who will be suspended for the final.
Despite scoring six goals in two knockout matches, Al-Hilal's coach, Jesus, hinted at the need for a new striker. Notably, the club has been linked with Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic from English club Fulham.
Jesus commented in a press statement after the win against Al-Shabab, "We play without a typical striker, but we are the team that has scored the most goals in the tournament."
He added, "My team played a fantastic tactical game against Al-Shabab. We scored a goal and faced an early red card, yet we could have increased our lead by two goals through Salem Al-Dawsari and Malcom. Despite being numerically disadvantaged, we managed to score two more goals, confirming our attacking prowess without a typical striker."
International goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais participated in Al-Hilal's group training on Thursday, only hours after joining the team's squad in Taif. This follows his recovery from an injury he sustained before the team's departure to Abha for the group stage matches.
AFP