“Many bad players in that starting 11”

On By Littum

Al-Nassr fans air their disappointment at X after Stefano Pioli named his starting XI to face Al-Taawoun, despite Cristiano Ronaldo being included. The two teams are set to lock horns in the Saudi Pro League at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium later tonight (Friday, January 17).

Bento Krepski starts in goal for Knights of Najd. Sultan Al-Ghannam, Mohamed Simakan, Aymeric Laporte and Nawaf Al-Boushail make up the defence. The midfield consists of Otavio, Ali Al-Hassan, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Abdulrahman Ghareeb. Cristiano Ronaldo is the lone striker up front to complete the starting XI.

Despite Pioli naming a relatively experienced squad, fans have grown unhappy with Al-Hassan and Ghareeb’s performances. A section of fans are also far from happy with summer signings Wesley and Angelo not making the starting XI. Furthermore, Anderson Talisca completely misses out on transfer links to Fenerbahce.

An Al-Nassr fan wrote:

“SIGNING SOME PLAYERS, still too many bad players in the starting 11”

Other fans reacted below:

“Ghareeb man…you gotta play fair bruh. And damn I can’t stand Al Hassan,” one fan commented

“No Wesley and Angelo… Mane and Gareeb again,” another added

“”Al Hassan”,” a fan posted

“Alhassan wtf is this,” another blew smoke

“If you compare the players from Al Nassr with the players from Hilal and Ittihad, it becomes clear why Al Nassr is out of the championship race,” another pointed out

‘They eliminated us from the Copa del Rey’ – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr boss Stefano Pioli passes judgment on Al-Taawoun ahead of SPL clash

Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli believes his side will face an organized and formidable foe in Al-Taawoun in their Saudi Pro League clash. Al-Taawoun defeated Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. 1-0 in the King Cup of Champions Round of 16 earlier this season (October 29), knocking them out of the competition.

Pioli said (via @TheNassrZone on X):

“The match against Al Taawoun will be difficult. We will face a strong opponent who has many strengths. They are an organized, fast and dynamic team. Unfortunately, they knocked us out of the King’s Cup, so we are fully aware of the challenges we face. We must definitely do our best.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr will aim to secure all three points as they look to make ground on leaders Al-Hilal in the title race. The former are fourth in the table with 28 points from 14 games, 12 points behind Al-Hilal, with a game in hand.