Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Al-Nassr vs Esteghlal clash in AFC Champions League

Al-Nassr will play Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward for the Al Nassr football team of Saudi Arabia, will not play in the first leg of their match against Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 Round of 16.

Azadi Stadium in Tehran is scheduled to host the game on Monday. The coaching staff has opted to rest Ronaldo for this game because he is currently not fit. The forward has been regular in the line-up, but at the age of 40, it is certainly not healthy to play every game.

Ronaldo is currently the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 17 goals and also in the AFC Champions League Elite he remains at the top of his form.

Ronaldo has been playing well in ACL Elite, leading Al-Nassr to place third in a 12-team group below two other Saudi Arabian clubs with six goals in the group stage.

Another award added to his collection 🐐Best goal of Matchweek 22! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/cwYDU3jviU

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) February 28, 2025

Ronaldo hasn’t taken home a major prize since joining the Riyadh club in December 2022. A triumph over Esteghlal of Tehran in the two-leg Round of 16 match would push Al-Nassr to the round of eight. However, it is now understood that Ronaldo is set to miss the first leg of the competition.

The 40-year-old boasts five UEFA Champions League victories, whereas at Al-Nassr, he has not yet achieved any major title so far, failing to win both the league title and the AFC Champions League Elite.

In the Saudi Pro League, Al-Nassr are lagging behind, and their most recent loss, a 2-1 loss to Al-Orubah on Friday, dropped them to third place. This surely puts more strain on coach Stefano Pioli’s hopes of leading the club to the title.

Ronaldo’s side are currently nine points adrift of first-place Al-Ittihad, who are yet to play their game and if they win against Al Akhdoud tonight, then they will go 12 points clear of Al-Nassr in the Saudi league.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.