Al Nassr will look to make it two wins from two in the Saudi Pro League when they travel to face Al Riyadh at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Friday evening.
Ange Postecoglou’s side began their title defence with a 3-0 victory over Al Fateh before following that up with a 4-1 win over Al Diriyah in the King’s Cup. Al Riyadh, meanwhile, lost 4-2 to Al Ettifaq in their league opener before recovering with a 2-0 cup victory over Al Zulfi.
Match preview
Al Nassr have made an encouraging start to life under Postecoglou, with their opening two competitive matches producing seven goals. Joao Felix was on target against Al Fateh, while Angelo and Samu Costa also scored in a convincing opening-day performance. The victory was particularly notable for the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who watched from the stands after being given an extended rest following the summer.
The champions finished last season with 86 points, two ahead of Al Hilal, to secure their first Saudi Pro League title since 2019. They now have an opportunity to establish an early lead in the new campaign, and their attacking options have already provided encouraging signs under Postecoglou.
Al Riyadh narrowly avoided relegation last season and have begun the new campaign with another difficult challenge. Their 4-2 defeat at Al Ettifaq contained both encouraging and worrying elements, as they twice came from behind before eventually conceding twice late on. They responded with a 2-0 victory against Al Zulfi in the King’s Cup, but face a considerably stronger opponent here.
The hosts will also have to cope without Rodrigo Abascal, who was sent off just six minutes into the defeat at Al Ettifaq after a VAR review upgraded his initial yellow card to a red. His suspension leaves Al Riyadh with a defensive problem against an Al Nassr attack that has scored seven goals in its first two competitive fixtures.
Al Nassr have dominated this fixture in recent meetings. They won 1-0 at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in February, while their previous meeting ended in a 5-1 victory for the champions. Al Riyadh’s last victory over Al Nassr came in 2004.
Team News
Al Riyadh will be without Abascal following his early red card against Al Ettifaq. Leandro Antunes was substituted after 11 minutes of that match because of an injury but subsequently returned to feature in the 2-0 cup win over Al Zulfi, leaving him in contention for a starting role. Teddy Okou, Bernard Mensah and Mahmoud Trezeguet are among the attacking players expected to carry the main threat.
Al Nassr’s main selection question concerns Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal captain missed both the 3-0 league victory over Al Fateh and the King’s Cup win over Al Diriyah, but the Saudi Pro League confirmed that he was given an extended rest following his summer commitments. His availability for Friday therefore remains the major late decision for Postecoglou.
Saad Al-Nasser was forced off with an injury during the opening-day victory over Al Fateh, with Salem Al Najdi replacing him. Samu Costa also impressed after coming off the bench to score against Al Fateh, while Joao Felix and Sadio Mane both made strong contributions in attack.
Predicted Lineups
Al Riyadh: Milan Borjan; Sultan Al-Essa, Mohammed Al-Khaibari, Hussam Majrashi, Sulaiman Hazazi; Victor Lekhal, Faisal Al-Sobhi, Bernard Mensah; Teddy Okou, Leandro Antunes, Trezeguet.
Al Nassr: Bento; Nawaf Boushal, Mohamed Simakan, Iñigo Martínez, Salem Al Najdi; Marcelo Brozović, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Ângelo; Kingsley Coman, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané.
Ronaldo is the key uncertainty in the Al Nassr XI. If he is not considered ready, Abdullah Al-Hamdan is the most obvious alternative after starting against Al Fateh. The rest of the predicted XI is based on the side that started the league opener, with Salem Al Najdi retaining the left-back role after replacing the injured Saad Al-Nasser.
How to watch Al Riyadh vs Al Nassr
Date: Friday, August 21, 2026
Kick-off: 5pm BST / 7pm Saudi Arabia time / 9:30pm IST
Venue: Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
UK: DAZN
India: DAZN
The Saudi Pro League’s official fixture listing confirms the match at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, while DAZN’s current Saudi Pro League schedule includes Al Riyadh vs Al Nassr among its 2026-27 fixtures.
What we say: Al Riyadh 0-2 Al Nassr
Al Riyadh’s home advantage should make this less straightforward than the difference in squad quality suggests, but their defensive situation makes the task particularly difficult.
Al Nassr have already shown enough attacking quality to suggest that they can create repeated problems for the hosts. Felix, Mané, Ângelo and Coman all offer different threats, while the possible return of Ronaldo would give Postecoglou another elite finisher.
The champions should control possession and create the better chances, although Al Riyadh have enough attacking ability to threaten on the counter. A second successive clean sheet would therefore be a reasonable target for the visitors.
Our prediction: Al Riyadh 0-2 Al Nassr.
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