The disciplinary committee did not back down on their stance. Despite Al Nassr’s repeated appeals to overturn the red card decision in the match against Al-Hilal, the ban on Cristiano Ronaldo will be upheld. This means the soccer icon will miss his side’s next two league games. At the crucial juncture of the season, losing any player, let alone their captain and goal-machine is a crushing blow to the Saudi side. But, coach Luis Castro is not dwelling on the misfortune and is already planning for the next game on April 19th. It seems the Portuguese tactician has found his CR7 alternative for the game.

As per reports, Meshari Al-Nemer is the chosen one to replace the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. The twenty-year-old is a prodigious talent and made his debut for Al Nassr back in 2022. Moreover, Al-Nemer is a right-footed striker and with CR7 playing like a striker at this stage of his career, on paper, this is a like-for-like replacement. However, the key word is ‘on paper.’

Meshari Al-Nemer is not a prolific goal scorer like Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar has 29 league goals in 25 games and is the division’s leading goal scorer. On the other hand, in 9 games, Al-Nemer is yet to score a solitary goal this season!

However, with the likes of Sadio Mane, Otavio, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb in the mix, Al-Nemer has the perfect cast to complement him. Also, with Al Hilal, enjoying a 12-point lead, the match pretty much doesn’t have much significance in the grand scheme of things. For Al Nassr, the crucial game is the King Cup match against Al-Khaleej. Notably, this is also the match in which Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return.

Can Cristiano Ronaldo inspire Al Nassr to the King Cup title?

The truth of the matter is that the King Cup is Al Nassr’s only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season. They were recently eliminated in the Saudi Super Cup by Al Hilal and the league looks to be a foregone case. Al-Khaleej is 10th in the league and has not been in very good form this season. Hence, a victory in the semi-final looks likely for Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. However, it is the potential final that could prove challenging.

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In the other semi-final, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad face off. The Saudi league leaders are the overwhelming favorites and this does not bode well for Al Nassr. For Cristiano Ronaldo & Co, Al Hilal has been their kryptonite this season. In 3 games, they faced 3 defeats! As a result, if Luis Castro’s team wants to salvage their season, they will need to adopt a tactic different from what the team usually employs in case of a match against Al Hilal.