Fifteen goals from 1,000, and Cristiano Ronaldo was not on the plane to Uzbekistan. The 41-year-old stayed in Riyadh with winger Kingsley Coman and defender Mohamed Simakan as Al-Nassr arrived in Tashkent on Saturday without three of their biggest names for round four of the AFC Champions League Elite.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou pointed to the calendar at his pre-match press conference.
“I decided to rest Ronaldo, Coman and Simakan, given the congestion of matches and the frequency of travel,” he told Goal.
The call comes three days after Ronaldo’s 15-minute second-half hat-trick turned a 2-2 match into a 5-3 win at Al-Kholood on 30 October, carrying him to 985 career goals.
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A disrupted Asian campaign
Al-Nassr sit ninth in the AFC Champions League Elite’s West region with three points from three matches, one point and one place above Monday’s hosts. The group campaign has been bumpy: their home fixture against Al-Wasl on 26 October was postponed after the Dubai club declined to travel to Riyadh over regional security concerns.
Pakhtakor sit 12th in the Asian group with two points.
A Saudi title back in sight
The domestic picture is sharper. Al-Nassr are second on 28 points from 11 matches, level on points with leaders Al-Qadsiah at the top of the Saudi Pro League. Nine wins from 11 matches have lifted the side straight back into the title conversation after a slow preseason.
Postecoglou was not downbeat about the squad he did take to Uzbekistan.
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“Despite the difficult start, the preparation conditions and the lack of complete readiness at the beginning of the season, we have now reached an excellent stage, and through tomorrow’s match we aim to confirm that,” he told Goal.
Kickoff at Pakhtakor Central Stadium is at 6:45pm local time on Monday.
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