The Saudi club are due to face Pakhtakor in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Ronaldo will not travel with the squad, as head coach Ange Postecoglou has opted to manage the workload of several key players ahead of the fixture.
The decision comes despite Ronaldo’s impressive recent form. The 41-year-old scored a hat-trick in a Saudi Pro League match last week, taking his combined career tally for club and country to 985 goals. He is now just 15 goals away from reaching the remarkable milestone of 1,000 career goals, a landmark few players in football history have approached.
Ronaldo is not the only prominent player being rested for the trip. French winger Kingsley Coman and defender Mohamed Simakan have also been left out of the squad.
Speaking at a press conference in Uzbekistan, Postecoglou explained that the decision was based on the demands of the fixture schedule and the lengthy journey.
“We have rested them after taking into consideration the demands of the match schedule and the long journey,” he said.
Ronaldo’s absence will be a significant consideration for Al Nassr, who are seeking to improve their position in Asia’s premier club competition. The Saudi side entered the tournament with ambitions of securing their first continental title, but their campaign has not started as expected.
They currently sit ninth in the Western Region standings, making them the lowest-placed of Saudi Arabia’s five representatives in the competition.
This season’s tournament features 32 clubs, divided equally between the Eastern and Western regions, with 16 teams in each. The top eight sides from both regions will advance to the knockout stage. Al Nassr therefore face increasing pressure to collect points and move into the qualifying positions as the league phase progresses.
Despite the difficult start, Postecoglou believes his team are gradually finding their rhythm. He acknowledged that preparations at the beginning of the season had presented challenges, but suggested that the squad were now in a better position.
“The start was difficult, but we have overcome the limitations in our preparations and the fact that we were not fully ready at the beginning of the season. We are now in a good position,” he said.
Meanwhile, developments in the regional security situation have also affected Al Nassr’s continental campaign.
Last week, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) postponed the club’s scheduled match against UAE side Al Wasl after the visitors declined to travel to Riyadh over security concerns. The decision added another complication to an already demanding fixture calendar.
There had also been an earlier disruption on 12 October, when the kick-off time of another match at Al Nassr’s home ground was delayed by an hour. The adjustment followed reports of a missile attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, prompting concerns over the security situation.
The postponement and scheduling changes underline the wider challenges facing clubs competing in the region, where developments beyond football can affect travel arrangements and match organisation.
For Al Nassr, the immediate priority is to secure a positive result against Pakhtakor and strengthen their position in the Western Region standings. Without Ronaldo, Coman and Simakan, other members of the squad will have an opportunity to shoulder greater responsibility.
Ronaldo’s absence may also attract attention because of his pursuit of 1,000 career goals. However, with a demanding season ahead, Al Nassr appear to have prioritised managing their leading players’ fitness while keeping their continental ambitions on track.
