Saudi Pro League 2023-24: Al-Nassr vs Al-Shabab: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Al-Shabab to square up against Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in search of first win

Al-Nassr’s team started off pretty poorly at the beginning of the 2023–24 Saudi Pro League. After the first two games of this season in the domestic league, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al-Nassr accumulated zero points on the table. In their opener, they faded against Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq.

Later, Al-Taawoun shocked them with a visit, from which they got all three points. The last game against Al Fateh was different. Ronaldo’s side rocked the opposition by netting five times without a response. Now the PIF-invested side sitting in 10th position is set to host a shaky Al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab have had problems of its own. Currently sitting a point above relegation and in the 14th position in the Saudi Pro League, these are the very early stages of the season; fans need not worry about relegation just yet. However, three games without a win for a side that finished fourth last season can be an issue internally. After settling for a draw against visitors Damac FC, they now have a tough ask away from home.

On Matchday 4, they will see themselves square up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in search of their first win for the 2023–24 Saudi Pro League season.

Kick-Off:

Tuesday, 29 August 2023 at 18:00 UTC (11:30 PM IST)

Location: KSU Football Field

Form

Al-Nassr (in all competitions): W-W-L-L-W

Al-Shabab (in all competitions): D-L-D-L-W

Players to watch in Al-Nassr vs Al-Shabab

Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)

The five-time Ballon d’Or holder is a name that makes the rounds of the newspaper all year. Al-Nassr started off shakily in their opening two games, registering two losses. The Portuguese legend started off. In the last game against Al Fateh, initially, Ronaldo helped Sadio Mané open the scoring with an amazing backheel assist. Later, the man himself went on to score three for the night to take home the match ball.

Éver Banega (Al-Shabab)

For Al-Shabab, Éver Banega has played every minute of the last three league games. At 35, the Argentinian central midfielder is captaining his side, which has yet to register a win. Banega is a three-time UEFA Europa League winner with former club Sevilla and a really good midfield player. If he can exploit the defences of Al-Nassr to find players like Fahad Al-Muwallad and Habib Diallo, we can expect some damage from Al-Shabab to Al-Nassr.

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Match facts Al-Nassr vs Al-Shabab

• The visitors Al-Shabab are winless in the last four games
• Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo scored a hat trick and assisted once in the last game
• In the last four games, Al-Shabab have failed to keep a clean sheet

Injury & Team news for Al-Nassr vs Al-Shabab

Since Al-Nassr had an epic win of five goals to nil in the last game, we expect the same starting lineup that travelled to Al Fateh. New signings Aymeric Laporte and Otavio have already made their presence felt on the team. Manager Luis Castro has nothing to change or worry about for the time being.  

Coach Marcel Keizer will be wary of the attacking threats on board Al-Nassr. So it is likely he will approach the game with more men in the midfield for Al-Shabab. Al-Nassr can overflood their midfield due to the qualities of new arrivals Otávio and Marcelo Brozović. A 4-5-1 approach could be used once again.

Head to Head

Total Matches – 44

Al-Nassr wins – 15

Al-Shabab wins – 16

Draws – 13

Predicted Lineup for Al-Nassr vs Al-Shabab

Al-Nassr predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Alaqidi (GK); Al Ghannam, Al Fatil, Laporte, Konan; Al Khaibari, Brozovic; Mane, Otavio, Ghareeb; Ronaldo(C)

Al-Shabab predicted lineup (4-5-1)

Kim (GK); Al Saqour, Iago Santos, Al Sharari, Al Sibyani; Al Ammar, Al Qahtani, Cuellar, Banega (C), Bahbri; Diallo

Match Prediction for Al-Nassr vs Al-Shabab

The 2023–24 Saudi Pro League season for both Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab didn’t start off well. However, Al-Nassr are a different team after the injection of two new faces in the names of Otávio and Aymeric Laporte. We saw the 5-0 thrashing of Al-Fateh last time around after those two were named in the starting lineup. Al-Shabab have been unable to keep a clean sheet in their last four games. And in the good form, Mané and Ronaldo are in, we expect the visitor’s net to bulge quite a few times in the game.

Prediction: Al-Nassr 4-0 Al-Shabab

Telecast

India – Sony Sports Network

UK – DAZN, Sky Sports

US –  ESPN

Nigeria – Sporty TV

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