Damac – Al-Nassr match preview
Al-Nassr ended their winless streak at the weekend with a controversial 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab, but the damage may already have been done in their quest for the Pro League title.
A draw and three consecutive defeats (including one against leaders Al-Hilal) before Saturday mean Jorge Jesús’s men are seven points behind their Riyadh rivals.
It is not an insurmountable deficit, but Al-Hilal’s form, which has seen them drop just four points in 15 matches, means Al-Nassr will have to be near perfect from here on out to have any chance of regaining top spot.
They were again far from their best against a struggling Al-Shabab, but were victorious, thanks in part to Kingsley Coman’s overhead kick that reminded teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who surprisingly drew a blank.
Al-Shabab were reduced to 10 men when Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored the winning goal with Vincent Sierro sent off, a decision that later prompted an official complaint to the league from the disgruntled visitors.
Al-Nassr will not be able to reinforce his squad in the coming weeks, since the 10 places abroad are occupied after the failure of the loan of goalkeeper Bento to Genoa. It’s not that the Saudi club has money to spend, according to Jesús.
Speaking after the match against Al-Shabab, he said: “We do not have any vacancies for foreign players, and the financial situation at Al-Nassr is not good and does not allow it.”
A clash with Damac should at least allow them to maintain their upward trajectory.
The home team has won just one of its 15 league games this season and claims to be the specialist in draws with eight.
Team news for Damac v Al-Nassr
Damac defender Abdelkader Bedrane returns after a two-match suspension.
Al-Nassr striker Sadio Mane is still in Senegal celebrating his country’s African Cup of Nations triumph, but Marcelo Brozovic and Nawaf Al-Aqidi are returning from suspensions.
