Why Cristiano Ronaldo may not play in tonight's Al Nassr vs Al Duhail Match in AFC Champions League?

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Al Nassr are up against Al Duhail in the AFC Champions League today (Tuesday, November 7) and will be hoping to rack up three important points in the match.

Al Nassr are currently sitting at the summit of their group and have won all of their first three matches. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in terrific touch for them. He has already netted 3 goals in the AFC Champions League, and has further 12 more goals in the Saudi Pro League.

With Ronaldo in flying colours along with his other teammates, Al Nassr have found themselves in a healthy position in both the domestic league and the continental competitions.

But as Al Nassr face Al Duhail in Qatar, there is doubt over Ronaldo's participation in today's match.

Why Cristiano Ronaldo may not play against Al Duhail in AFC Champions League?

Cristiano Ronaldo may not be involved in the match tonight against Al Duhail, and if we try to decode the reason for that, we will find two.

Primarily, Cristiano Ronaldo has been playing non-stop football in the last few weeks. He has played over 600 minutes in the last two and a half weeks. The Portugal star has scored 8 goals and made 3 assists in this time for his club and country and looks in impeccable touch. But with Ronaldo set to play further matches in the coming weeks, a rest for the Al Duhail tie is on the cards to manage his workload.

And in another reason, Al Nassr are almost assured of a progression to the knockout stages. They have 9 points after three matches and are expected to get a routine victory over Al Duhail in this match. With the likes of Sadio Mane, Anderson Talisca and others in their setup, it won't be too detrimental if Ronaldo is rested for this match.

Cristiano Ronaldo can play for this reason

On the contrary, there is a reason why Ronaldo himself may want to play this match. The Al Nassr captain would know a win today over Al Duhail will ensure their knockout qualifications. Hence he will be tempted to play and complete the job before taking some deserved rest in the next matches.