AFC Champions League: Al Nassr vs Al Ain: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Al Nassr will look to avoid another upset against Al Ain

Al-Nassr face the threat of quarter-final elimination in the Champions League for the first time since 2018-19. Last week, they were held scoreless away for the first time this season, and their last quarter-final exit was four years ago against Al Sadd. Although unbeaten at home in the current competition, they are winless in the last two games at Al-Awwal Stadium, suffering a 3-1 defeat against Al-Raed on Thursday.

Al-Ain are close to the AFC Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2016, securing clean sheets in two of their last three knockout matches. Hernan Crespo’s team is on a 10-match unbeaten streak, reaching the UAE Cup final. The 14-time UAE Pro League champions are unbeaten in eight away matches and have not lost an away fixture in the AFC Champions League this season.

Kick-Off:

Tuesday, 12 March at 12:30 PM IST

Location: Al-Awwal Stadium

Form

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

Al Ain (in all competitions): W-W-W-W-W

Players to watch out

Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)

The home team features Saudi Pro League’s top goal-scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has impressively scored 22 goals in the league.

Although he didn’t manage to find the net in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals first leg, the Portuguese sensation is likely to be exceptionally motivated to score in the upcoming match and guide his team through to the next stage of the competition. He has seven goal contributions in the AFC Champions League as well.

Kaku (Al Ain) 

Kaku has emerged as the linchpin of Al Ain’s team, showcasing versatility in his all-encompassing style of play. He adeptly contributes to the team dynamic while also making a significant impact by scoring crucial goals and creating opportunities. Deployed in various positions throughout the season, his versatility has become valuable for the team. He is a creative, dynamic attacker who can change the game by scoring and setting up teammates.

Match facts

• Al Nassr have failed to win a match in their last three matches.
• Al Ain are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.
• Al Nassr lost the reverse fixture 1-0 at Al Ain’s home ground.

Injury & team news

Al Nassr will face the absence of defender Aymeric Laporte, who was red-carded in stoppage time during last week’s opening leg. Talisca’s participation in the upcoming fixture is doubtful due to a muscle issue, Waleed Abdullah is unlikely to feature due to a leg injury, and Raghed Al-Najjar will be unavailable due to an unknown injury. In the previous Monday’s match, David Ospina made his first Champions League start in goal for Al-Nassr this season.

Al Ain’s Sultan Al-Shamsi made his first appearance in the knockout stage for the team, substituting for Soufiane Rahimi in the latter stages of second-half stoppage time. Rahimi, who scored the winning goal for the second consecutive time in this Champions League campaign, contributed to Khalid Eisa’s third clean sheet of the competition by stopping all five shots he faced.

Head to head

Total matches – 3

Al Ain – 2

Al Nassr – 1

Draw – 0

Predicted Lineup

Al Nassr predicted lineup

Ospina; Al-Ghannam, Lajami, Al-Amri, Behich; Al-Khaibari, Al-Najei; Yahya, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo

Al Ain predicted lineup

Eisa; Al-Ahbabi, Al-Hashemi, Autonne, Erik; Yong-woo; Waleed, Barman, Palacios; Kaku, Rahimi

Match prediction for Al Nassr vs Al Ain:

Despite the challenge of wagering against Ronaldo, known for his penchant for delivering in crucial matches, his team is currently going through a rough patch and displaying an unusual impatience. Conversely, Al-Ain has showcased composure under pressure in the knockout stages of the tournament. As a collective unit, they have the ability to unsettle Al-Nassr and disrupt their rhythm once more.

Prediction: Al Nassr 0-1 Al Ain

Telecast

India- FanCode

UK- No telecast

US- Paramount+

Nigeria- No telecast

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