At 2:00 am on August 23rd, in the first round of the 24/25 Saudi League season, Al Nassr will host Al-Batin at home. The former just suffered a humiliating 1-4 defeat to their cross-town rivals Al Hilal, missing out on the Saudi Super Cup title. They desperately need a win to boost morale.
Al Nassr finished second in the league last season, unable to shake off their cross-town rivals Al Hilal. In this summer’s transfer window, they brought in 25-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Bento, and at the same time retained Laporte, who won the European Cup with the Spanish national team. The defensive strength has been somewhat enhanced.
Before the new season of the Saudi League kicked off, Al Nassr played two official matches. In the Saudi Super Cup semi-finals, they beat Al-Batin 2-0. Unfortunately, they suffered a sweet-and-sour loss in the final, falling 1-4 to their cross-town rivals Al Hilal, once again missing out on the championship. Ronaldo’s complete disregard for the award ceremony sparked considerable controversy.
However, Ronaldo’s form is still quite good. He scored a goal and provided an assist against Al-Batin, leading the team to a comfortable 2-0 victory. He also scored the first goal against Al Hilal in the final. But the performances of Mane, Talisca and Otavio were disappointing, and the collapse of the defense resulted in a disastrous defeat.
Ronaldo’s career total goals have risen to 897, very close to the 900 milestone. Al-Batin is also a relatively favorable opponent for Ronaldo. Since he landed in the Saudi League in January 2023, the “President” has faced Al-Batin three times, scoring in two of those matches.
However, Al Nassr’s recent performance has only been mediocre. Due to a disjointed pre-season squad and generally stronger opponents, they have lost 6 out of their last 10 games, along with 2 draws and 2 wins. Since the start of the new season, Al Nassr have a record of 1 win and 1 loss, scoring 3 goals and conceding 4. The defensive issues remain unresolved.
Al-Batin finished 11th in the league table last season, and their squad is clearly no match for Al Nassr. Their biggest name is Moroccan Karim Berkaoui, a 28-year-old foreign player who is the only player in Al-Batin worth €1 million, with the team’s overall valuation at just €10.88 million. Meanwhile, Al Nassr’s total value is €150 million.
Al-Batin also played three friendly matches before the start of the season, achieving a record of 2 wins and 1 draw, remaining unbeaten. However, the strength of their warm-up opponents was generally low. In terms of their recent 10 matches, Al-Batin have only achieved 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, with a win rate of 30%, scoring 14 goals and conceding 12, keeping 5 clean sheets.
In the last 10 encounters between the two teams, Al Nassr have won 7 times, drawn once and lost twice, with a win rate of 70%, clearly having the psychological advantage. However, in their last meeting last season, Al Nassr surprisingly lost 1-3 at home, which also cost them the chance to win the championship.
Overall, Ronaldo is in good form, and Al Nassr are also stronger on paper. However, their defense is a cause for concern. Al-Batin are not without a chance.
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