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

The first leg between the two sides ended in a 0-0 draw.

When Al Nassr host Esteghlal tonight for the second leg of the AFC Champions League Elite‘s round of 16, they will be determined to end their current bad run of play.

Al Nassr come into this game hoping to win the match at home. Despite their recent inconsistencies, the Saudi Arabian team, captained by Stefano Pioli, is still a strong force at home. They will try to get past Esteghlal’s strong defensive position with hopefully Cristiano Ronaldo leading their attack.

In previous weeks, the hosts have come up with a number of ways to fail to get a positive result, and Friday was no exception. In their league match against Al Shabab on Friday, Ronaldo and company came back from behind to win the first half 2-1. But Mohammed Al-Fatil’s red card in the second half was the game-changing event. In the end, Pioli’s team drew 2-2, failing to get three points, which further dented their hopes to remain in the title race.

They are now fourth in the Saudi Pro League and ten points below first-place Al-Ittihad. Their ambition of winning the title is slipping away.

However, the team will turn their focus to the AFC competition. With Ronaldo and company scoring two or more goals in each of their last six games, Al Nassr have been playing brilliantly at home lately. Each of those matches saw more than two goals scored.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo play tonight?

Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo will play tonight when they welcome Esteghlal. The 40-year-old will be aiming to lead the team into the next round of the AFC Champions League Elite.

The former Real Madrid star missed the first leg of the competition but will return for the second leg after participating in the previous game of Al-Nassr. Despite being on the scoresheet in the last league game, he couldn’t help his side secure a win.

However, tonight, he will look to make a big difference in the game. His presence always provides the team with more experience in attack.

One last session 🔚 pic.twitter.com/AFKqJclQJk

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) March 9, 2025

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