Al-Nassr will look to bounce back from their shocking opening-day defeat as they host Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League. The visitors, on the other hand, already have a point after their first Saudi Pro League match.
Preview (Al-Nassr vs Al-Taawoun)
After defeating Al-Hilal 2-1 over the course of 120 minutes on Friday to win the Arab Club Champions Cup. Al-Nassr has already won a trophy this year. They beat an Al Ettifaq team led by Liverpool great Steven Gerrard on Monday. Luis Castro’s team had little time to enjoy their victory. Due to the quick turnaround, several of Al-Nassr’s high-profile additions were rested. Sadio Mane was ready to take on Jordan Henderson, a former colleague from Liverpool.
Mane’s fourth-minute goal gave his team a slim lead at halftime. Al-Nassr was defeated 2-1 thanks to goals from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele. Henderson took home the victory and the bragging rights. The Saudi Pro League’s Al-Nassr will have the chance to extend their 14-game home winning streak. They return to their familiar surroundings on Friday. Al-Taawoun did not compete in the Arab Club Champions Cup. In contrast to its rivals, guaranteeing that they had a brand-new roster for the start of the new season.
They would have hoped to continue where they left off as they opened the new campaign with an away match against Al Fateh after winning their final seven league games of the 2022–23 season. Feras Al-Brikan had opened the scoring when summer signing Andrei Girotto equalized for Al-Taawoun in first-half stoppage time.
On Friday, they will leave for another away game with the intention of continuing their recent success. It saw them complete the previous campaign with the second-best away record in the top division. Impressively, since going scoreless in a 3-0 loss to Al-Ittihad in December, the visitors have scored in each of their past 11 away league games.
Team News
After being rested for Monday’s loss against Al Ettifaq, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles are all anticipated to rejoin the team. Cristiano Ronaldo missed the league’s opening game due to injury, but he should be ready to play against Al Fateh soon. When Mane lines up on the left flank for Friday’s game, he will be trying to score once more after scoring his first goal for his new team.
Hassan Kadesh and Girotto will continue their nascent central defensive partnership, with Mohammed Al-Ghamdi and Muath Faqeehi serving as the other two full-backs. Leandre Tawamba, who has 155 appearances and S81 goals for Al-Taawoun, will play with Mateus and Ahmed Bahusayn in the attacking line. Al-Nassr would have been sad to start the new league season with a loss, but with its best players anticipated to play on Friday, we believe they will have the superior talent needed to secure a victory at home.
Al-Nassr 2 – 1 Al-Taawoun
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