Al-Nassr will be looking to bounce back from their opening-day defeat to Al Etiffaq when they play host to Al-Taawoun on Friday at 11:30 pm IST.
The visitors, meanwhile, have already earned a point after drawing against Al Fateh in their first match of the Saudi Pro League season.
| Al Nassr FC vs Al-Taawoun | |
| SCHEDULE | TIME |
| Match: | Al Nassr FC vs Al-Taawoun |
| Tournament: | Saudi Professional League Round 2 |
| Match Date: | August 18, 2023 |
| Match Time: | 11:30 PM Indian Time (UTC +5:30) |
| Stadium: | Al Awal Park at King Saud University |
| Match Finished | |
|
FT: AL Nassr 0 – 2 AL Taawoun |
| Lineup | Al Nassr FC |
|
Al Nassr FC XI: Waleed, Konan, Lajami, Alamri, Sultan, Alkhaibari, Brozovic, Seko Fofana, Sadio Mane, Talisca, Cristiano Ronaldo |
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| Lineup | Al-Taawoun |
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Al-Taawoun XI: Malison, Al Ahmad, Kadesh, Girotto, Faqeehi, Flavio, Al Oyayari, El Mahdioui, Mateus, Medran, Tawamba |
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| Al Nassr FC vs Al-Taawoun Head-to-Head |
Matches Played: 20
Al Nassr FC Won: 13
Al-Taawoun Won: 05
Matches Draw: 02
| Al Nassr FC Last 5 Matches |
LWWWD
Al-Ettifaq 2 – 1 Al Nassr FC
Al Hilal 1 – 2 Al Nassr FC
Al Shorta 0 – 1 Al Nassr FC
Raja Casablanca 1 – 3 Al Nassr FC
Zamalek SC 1 – 1 Al Nassr FC
| Al-Taawoun Last 5 Matches |
DWWWW
Al Fateh FC 1 – 1 Al-Taawon
Al-Taawoun 3 – 1 Al Batin
Al Shabab 0 – 3 Al-Taawon
Al-Taawon 2 – 1 Al Taee
Al Khaleej 0 – 2 Al-Taawoun
Al-Nassr vs Al-Taawoun Analysis
Al-Nassr have claimed the trophy of the season after beating Al-Hilal 2-1 over 120 minutes of action to win the Arab Club Champions Cup on Friday.
Luis Castro’s side have little time to celebrate their success, as they return to action on Monday for the opening match of the new Saudi Pro League season against an Al Ettifaq side managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
While a number of Al-Nassr’s high-profile signings were rested due to the short turnaround, Sadio Mane was available to face his former Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson.
Mane opened the scoring in the fourth minute to give his side a slender half-time lead, but it was Henderson who had the last laugh after goals from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele saw Al-Nassr lose 2-1.
Al-Nassr will return to their home environment on Friday, and they will have the opportunity to extend their 14-match unbeaten home run in the Saudi Pro League.
Unlike their opponents, Al-Taawoun was not involved in the Arab Club Champions Cup, ensuring they enter the new season with a fresher squad.
Having won their last seven league games of the 2022-23 season, they hope to continue where they left off as they kick off the new campaign with an away game against Al Fateh.
Summer signing Andrei Girotto marked his Al-Taawoun debut with a goal, restoring parity late in the first half after Feras Al-Brikan opened the scoring, but Pericles Chamusca’s side were unable to continue and find a winner in the second half ensuring they had to settle for 1 point.
Al-Nassr vs Al-Taawoun Team News
After receiving rest for Monday’s loss to Al Ettifaq, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles are all anticipated to rejoin the squad.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed the league’s opening game due to injury, but he should be ready to play against Al Fateh soon.
After opening his goalscoring account for his new club, Mane will look to score once again when he lines up on the left wing for Friday’s game.
For the visitors, Chamusca might be tempted to stick with the lineup that tied Al Fateh 1-1.
Girotto will continue his partnership in central defense alongside Hassan Kadesh, while Mohammed Al-Ghamdi and Muath Faqeehi will feature as the two full-backs.
Leandre Tawamba, who had 81 goals in 155 games for Al-Taawoun, will play up front alongside Mateus and Ahmed Bahusayn, two summer signings. Footem Score Prediction: Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Taawoun prediction
Al-Nassr will be disappointed to start the new league campaign with a defeat, but with their star names expected to return for Friday’s game, we think they will have the extra quality needed to claim a home win.
