Will Cristiano Ronaldo play tonight for Al-Nassr vs Esteghlal in AFC Champions League Elite?

Ronaldo has six goals in the competition this season.

Esteghlal and Al Nassr square off in a pivotal Round of 16 match tonight, as the AFC Champions League Elite heats up. This matchup is more than simply a game; it’s a conflict between two driven teams hoping to make it further in the competition.

Al-Nassr come into this round after finishing third place in the AFC Champions League Elite‘s Group B. They were five points behind Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, who are also their Saudi Pro League opponents.

With just one victory in their last four games in the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr are in awful form. They defeated Al Wehda, the Saudi Professional League’s poorest team by far, in their lone victory during that time.

With Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game, it seems unlikely that we will see many goals in this match. But there’s a good chance Al-Nassr will score and have an advantage going into the second leg.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo play tonight?

Due to a slight injury, Cristiano Ronaldo will not play in today’s AFC Champions League match between Al-Nassr and Esteghlal.

Although Ronaldo has registered 25 goals for Al-Nassr this season across all competitions, Stefano Pioli’s team remains far behind Al-Ittihad in the fight for the Saudi Pro League championship.

The 40-year-old’s omission from the traveling squad was confirmed by the club on social media, and Pioli gave the following explanation during a press conference:

“He had a physical problem. I wouldn’t say it was 100% a big problem, but we preferred him not to be in the game.”

Ronaldo appeared for 90 minutes in Al-Nassr’s most recent match, a shocking 2-1 loss to Al-Orobah on Friday.

Meanwhile, after supporters barged into the team hotel to see Cristiano Ronaldo on the Saudi team’s most recent visit in 2023, Al-Nassr reportedly appealed to the AFC to ask that today’s match be moved from Tehran to a neutral location. That request has been denied as the Azadi Sports Complex will host the game.

AlNassr’s squad list for Esteghlal! 🗒️ pic.twitter.com/EAm5Ac1cfh

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) March 2, 2025

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