Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence from Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League tie vs Al Duhail explained

Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent for Al-Nassr's upcoming Asian Champions League encounter against Al Duhail set for Tuesday, November 7, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

The 38-year-old has played a pivotal role in Al-Nassr's impressive form both in domestic and continental competitions, netting a total of 15 goals in 16 matches across various tournaments.

Ronaldo's influential performances have contributed to the team's 16-game undefeated streak, and they aim to secure another victory over the Qatari champions, whom they narrowly defeated in a thrilling match two weeks ago.

Despite his prior impact, the Portuguese star will not be present for the reverse tie between the two sides.

Al-Nassr currently leads Group E with a flawless 9 points from three games, per Sofascore, and will hope to enhance their chances of reaching the AFC Champions League knockout stage even in Ronaldo's absence.

Coach Luis Castro explained that Cristiano's absence from the squad was a strategic decision made to ensure he gets some well-deserved rest before returning to action.

“He's absent due to fatigue," the Portuguese trainer said as cited by TimelineCR7.

"A few days ago, he played a match that went into extra time and 48 hours ago, he played an important league match."

In the absence of their leading marksman, Luis Castro will rely on summer signings Sadio Mane and Otavio while also banking his hopes on Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca.

Ronaldo chalks 400 goal mark post-30

In his last outing for Al-Nassr, Sports Brief reported that Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a remarkable goal-scoring feat with an impressive strike during Al-Nassr's 2-0 victory against Al Khaleej on Saturday, November 4.

Ronaldo's 26th-minute strike not only bolstered his remarkable season statistics but also marked an astonishing milestone of 400 goals scored since reaching the age of 30