Al Nassr face Al Diriyah today, August 18, in the 2026–27 King Cup of Champions, with the big question being whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play.
Al Nassr and Al Diriyah meet in the Round of 32 of the 2026–27 King Cup of Champions, and all eyes are on Cristiano Ronaldo’s availability for this match.
While it is not official yet, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to sit out Al Nassr’s match against Al Diriyah. The Portuguese star did not feature in his team’s debut for the 2026–27 Saudi Pro League season either.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou has decided to give the 41-year-old rest to regain match fitness following the 2026 World Cup and his recent wedding.
Al-Nassr’s projected lineup
While it is a Round of 32 cup match, Postecoglou could deploy a strong starting XI similar to the squad featured in Matchday 1 of the 2026–27 SPL season against Al Fateh.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr.
Al Nassr projected XI (4-3-3): Nawaf Al-Aqidi; Nawaf Boushal, Mohamed Simakan, Inigo Martinez, Sultan Al-Ghanam; Marcelo Brozovic, Samu Costa, Angelo Gabriel; Sadio Mane, Joao Felix, Abdullah Al-Hamdan
Al Diriyah’s projected lineup
As for Al Diriyah, the start of the season did not go as planned following a home defeat against Al Ahli Saudi. The club is aiming to get back on track in the King Cup of Champions.
Al Diriyah projected XI (4-2-3-1): Mubarak Buainain; Ali Al-Zubaidi, Ahmed Al-Mufarrij, Nawaf Al-Soby, Bandar Baajaj; Abdulaziz Al-Dawsari, Sultan Al-Ghannam; Mohammed Al-Sori, Majed Al-Deen, Hassan Al-Khaibari; Rayan Al-Johani.