AFCON 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite clash against Pakhtakor on Monday, November 2, after head coach Ange Postecoglou opted to rest the Portuguese forward ahead of a demanding run of fixtures.
Ronaldo has been left out of Al Nassr’s travelling squad for the Matchday Four encounter in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, alongside winger Kingsley Coman and defender Mohamed Simakan.
Postecoglou confirmed that the trio’s absence was a planned decision rather than the result of injuries or disciplinary issues, citing the demands of competing in domestic and continental competitions, as well as the extensive travelling involved.
“I decided to rest Ronaldo, Coman and Simakan, given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved,” Postecoglou said during his pre-match press conference.
The decision comes shortly after Ronaldo delivered an impressive performance in the Saudi Pro League, scoring a hat-trick against Al Kholood last week.
The 41-year-old’s treble took his career goals tally to 985, leaving him just 15 goals away from reaching the historic milestone of 1,000 career goals.
In his absence, Al Nassr will look to other attacking options, with Joao Felix and Sadio Mane expected to shoulder greater responsibility in the final third. Midfielder Samu Costa is also available again following his suspension.
Al Nassr will be seeking a positive result against Pakhtakor as they look to strengthen their position in the AFC Champions League Elite’s West region standings.
Ronaldo’s omission is understood to be a precautionary workload-management decision, with the club prioritising the fitness of key players during a congested period of the season. His return is expected to depend on the team’s schedule and the coaching staff’s assessment of his fitness.
