Last chance saloon for Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr

Out of the 24/25 Saudi Kings Cup and a surprise defeat at home on Friday against Al Ettifaq (2-3) has caused a mini earthquake at Al Nassr. The club now lie fourth in the Saudi Pro League and trail leaders Al Ittihad by 11 points with any hopes of a title push now something of a pipe dream for Stéfano Pioli’s team.

There is now an added complication and it comes in the shape of Al-Qadsiah (managed by Míchel and boasting players like Nacho and Aubameyang in the squad). The team from Al Khobar are the surprise package of the season and currently sit in third place in the table which would secure a place in next seasons AFC Champions League.

As things stand, after 21 games of a 34 game season, Al Nassr trail Michel’s side by three points and a failure to qualify for the continental tournament would be seen as a major debacle for the Riyadh men.

Should Al Nassr fail to secure a top three league place, then the only way to secure a place in the Champions League next season would be to win the tournament this season. Pioli’s side face Esteghlal of Iran in the Round of 16 with a final lifeline coming from rivals Al Hilal winning the title which would then see an extra place opening for Saudi Arabia with four Saudi teams in the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League.

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