Cristiano Ronaldo has once again been excluded from Al Nassr’s squad for the King’s Cup match against Al Diriyah, scheduled for Tuesday. Manager Ange Postecoglou has made this decision to give Ronaldo additional time to regain his physical sharpness ahead of upcoming fixtures. The Portuguese star joined the pre-season late and took time off following his international commitments with Portugal.

In contrast, Postecoglou has included young Iraqi signing Hayder Abdulkarim in the squad, providing another option to the club’s foreign-player contingent. This comes after Al Nassr's recent victory over Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League, where the team showcased their strength.

On the defensive front, Al Nassr has received a boost with defenders Abdulelah Al-Amri and Awad Aman cleared to return to action after recovering from injuries. However, goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi and forward Mohammed Maran will miss the match due to injury and lack of match fitness, respectively.

As Al Nassr prepares to host Al Diriyah, both teams are vying for a spot in the next round of the King’s Cup, which has already sparked considerable interest among Saudi football’s elite. Kick-off is set for 9 PM Mecca time in Riyadh, and Al Nassr is determined to avoid an early upset in this knockout competition.

The Riyadh giants aim to secure qualification within 90 minutes, boasting a squad filled with talent, including Senegal star Sadio Mane. Meanwhile, Al Diriyah will look to pull off a significant upset, relying on a solid defensive strategy to limit Al Nassr’s attacking threats while seeking opportunities on the counter-attack and from set pieces.

Fans can catch the action live on Thmanyah, which holds the broadcasting rights for Saudi football competitions, with the match available on Thmanyah 1.