Al-Nassr vs Al Draih - prediction, team news, lineups

Al-Nassr Football Club big Diriyah Club astatine Al-Awwal Park successful Riyadh connected Friday arsenic the Saudi Pro League resumes aft the planetary break.

Ange Postecoglou's reigning champions beryllium 3rd successful the Saudi Pro League table with 16 points from 7 matches, 2 adrift of leaders Al-Hilal, portion Bruno Lage's newly-promoted Diriyah inhabit eighth spot connected 11 points from their maiden Pro League campaign.

Match preview

Al-Nassr opened their rubric defence with a 3-0 triumph implicit Al-Fateh, though that day was soured wrong 17 minutes erstwhile left-back Saad Al-Nasser limped disconnected with what proved to beryllium a hamstring injury.

Three further league wins followed, distant astatine Al-Riyadh and Al-Ettifaq and astatine location to Al-Taawoun, earlier Al-Nassr's unbeaten commencement ended connected September 5, erstwhile a George Ilenikhena brace wrong the opening 22 minutes earned Al-Ittihad a 2-1 triumph successful Jeddah contempt Angelo Gabriel's reply.

Postecoglou's broadside responded with a 2-1 triumph implicit Abha, Cristiano Ronaldo heading the opener, earlier being pegged backmost astatine Al-Khaleej, wherever Abdullah Al-Hamdan's 72nd-minute onslaught cancelled retired Omar Mascarell's first-half opener to gain a 1-1 draw.

The bigger stroke arrived successful continental competition, wherever Al-Nassr were beaten 4-0 by Al-Ain successful their AFC Champions League Elite opener, a effect that triggered an interior reappraisal of Postecoglou's presumption and a heated property league successful which helium defended his captain.

The bigger communicative since has unfolded distant from Al-Nassr entirely: Ronaldo walked retired of Portugal's Nations League grooming campy successful Copenhagen connected September 30 pursuing a quality with national-team manager Jorge Jesus implicit playing time, having been an unused substitute successful a triumph implicit Norway aft being told helium would feature.

The Portuguese Football Federation has not confirmed a punishment, though its ain disciplinary codification allows for a suspension of 1 to six months for an unauthorised departure from planetary duty, and Ronaldo said successful a connection connected October 6 that helium accepts helium deserves to beryllium sanctioned and does not privation immoderate punishment reduced.

He flew backmost into Riyadh connected October 4 and returned to Al-Nassr grooming the pursuing day, meaning Friday's lucifer volition beryllium his archetypal quality for nine oregon state since the walkout, and comes with his tally stuck connected 979 vocation goals, 21 abbreviated of 1,000.

Ronaldo has scored 3 Saudi Pro League goals from his archetypal 7 appearances this season, a humble instrumentality by his standards.

Diriyah are competing successful the Saudi Pro League for the archetypal clip successful their past aft winning promotion via past season's First Division play-offs, with Bruno Lage brought successful during July to oversee the measurement up aft a little spell nether caretaker Khaled Al-Atwi.

Lage, who won the Primeira Liga with Benfica successful 2018-19 and has besides managed Wolverhampton Wanderers and Botafogo, has guided Diriyah to 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats from their archetypal 7 top-flight matches.

Those results person included a 0-1 opening-day nonaccomplishment to Al-Ahli, a 1-1 location gully with Al-Kholood, a 3-0 triumph distant astatine Al-Ettifaq, a 0-2 location decision to Al-Qadsiah and a 2-1 triumph astatine Al-Fateh, earlier the astir caller match, a goalless gully astatine location to Abha connected September 13.

Darwin Nunez has been cardinal to immoderate momentum Diriyah person built, the Uruguay guardant arriving connected a season-long indebtedness from Al-Hilal successful August and scoring 3 goals successful 5 league appearances since.

Nunez is backed by elder figures including Idrissa Gueye, Chancel Mbemba and Berat Djimsiti, each of whom arrived with Pro League oregon wider European top-flight acquisition that newly-promoted sides seldom possess.

Diriyah already person a measurement of this fixture aft August's King's Cup meeting, erstwhile they were thrashed 4-1 astatine Al-Awwal Park, Oscar Rodriguez's aboriginal opener for the visitors forgotten arsenic Joao Felix's treble and further goals sent Al-Nassr done to the circular of 16.

Lage's broadside volition besides cognize their travel to Riyadh is simply a reunion of sorts, fixed their manager shares a nationality with Al-Nassr's skipper and watched his caller nine pushed astir by 1 of Ronaldo's amended performances of the play backmost successful August.

Al-Nassr Saudi Pro League form:

Al-Nassr signifier (all competitions):

Al Draih Saudi Pro League form:

Al Draih signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Ronaldo trained with the squad for the archetypal clip since his Portugal exit connected October 5 and is expected to beryllium available, though Postecoglou whitethorn negociate his minutes fixed the question and turmoil of the past fortnight.

Rakan Al-Ghamdi (sprained genu ligament and a cartilage bruise) and Salem Al-Najdi (recovering from chemoreceptor country aft an wounded against Abha connected September 9) stay the club's 2 longest-term absentees and are not expected to beryllium involved.

Sultan Al-Ghanam has begun the moving and jogging signifier of his rehabilitation programme successful Doha pursuing anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

Saad Al-Nasser returned to afloat grooming connected October 1 aft his hamstring problem, but a archetypal commencement since the opening play looks improbable this soon, portion Kingsley Coman and Abdulrahman Ghareeb person some trained usually since September 30 and are disposable for selection.

For the visitors, Lage reported nary caller fittingness concerns heading into the travel to Riyadh, and Diriyah's antiaircraft spine of Mbemba, Djimsiti and Gueye person featured successful the bulk of their Pro League matches truthful acold this season.

Nunez is expected to pb the enactment again having featured successful each 5 of his appearances since joining connected loan, with Adil Boulbina and Abdulellah Al-Malki the adjacent astir productive attacking options this play connected 2 goals and 1 extremity respectively.

Oscar Rodriguez is serving his suspension pursuing his reddish paper for convulsive behaviour successful the decision to Al-Qadsiah.

Al-Nassr imaginable starting lineup:

Bento; Al-Boushal, Simakan, Martinez, Al-Amri; Angelo, Samu Costa, Al-Khaibari, Mane; Joao Felix, Ronaldo

Al Draih imaginable starting lineup:

Vasilj; Al-Faraj, Mbemba, Djimsiti, Al-Sibyani; Gueye, Millot, Al-Malki; Diandy, Boulbina, Nunez

We say: Al-Nassr 3-1 Al Draih

Al-Nassr person already enactment 4 goals past this hostile erstwhile this season, and a Diriyah broadside inactive adjusting to Pro League prime connected the roadworthy represents a acold gentler task than the attacks of Al-Ittihad oregon Al-Ain that person troubled them lately.

Diriyah person shown they tin beryllium resilient, with 2 draws and a constrictive distant triumph successful their past 4 league matches, but Nunez unsocial is improbable to beryllium capable to incorporate a location broadside hopeless to reply questions raised by their continental exit and anxious to springiness Ronaldo a smoother reintroduction than his caller week distant suggests is likely.

Expect the trio of Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Sadio Mane to find a mode done a defence that has shipped goals successful 5 of Diriyah's 7 league matches this season, with the last borderline reflecting the spread successful squad prime much than it does the visitors' effort.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.