Al Nassr Recall Ronaldo and Felix for Al Diriyah Clash

Al Nassr will host Al Diriyah at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh at 1 a.m. on October 10, 2026, seeking three points to strengthen their pursuit of the Saudi Pro League leaders. Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman are expected to feature, while the hosts face the eighth-round fixture without several Saudi players.

According to Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Osaimi, head coach Ange Postecoglou has included Ronaldo, Felix and Coman among the key players available for the match. French defender Mohamed Simakan has also recovered from a muscle strain sustained during the week, while Ayman Yahya has returned from injury, expanding the coach's selection options.

Abdulelah Al-Amri will miss the fixture because of fatigue after representing Saudi Arabia at the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, which the national team won. Winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb is also unavailable, according to the report published by GOAL on October 8, 2026.

Al Nassr entered the match in third place with 16 points from seven league games, having recorded five wins, one draw and one defeat. The team trailed leaders Al Hilal by two points and second-placed Al Ittihad by one, according to the standings reported ahead of the fixture.

The team's recent results offered mixed signals across the available reports. World Soccer Talk reported on October 9 that Al Nassr had drawn 1-1 with Al Khaleej, while the Vietnamese outlet Vietnam.vn described the side as having won its previous two matches. The reports therefore differ on the hosts' immediate form.

Ronaldo was expected to start after returning early from international duty with Portugal. World Soccer Talk reported that the forward had no injury concerns ahead of the match and included him alongside Felix in a projected starting lineup using a 4-4-2 formation.

The projected lineup also featured goalkeeper Bento Krepski, defenders Saad Al-Nasser, Abdulelah Al Amri, Inigo Martinez and Nawaf Al-Boushail, plus midfielders Sadio Mane, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Samu Samu and Angelo Gabriel. Postecoglou was listed as the team's coach.

Al Diriyah arrived in Riyadh occupying eighth place with 11 points from seven matches, according to Vietnam.vn's October 9 report. Their record comprised three wins, two draws and two defeats, leaving them five points behind Al Nassr.

The visitors had also drawn their most recent match, a 0-0 result against Abha, according to World Soccer Talk. Their projected 4-3-3 lineup included goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, defenders Hussain Al-Sabiyani, Berat Djimsiti, Chancel Mbemba and Abdulaziz Al Faraj, and midfielders Enzo Millot, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Abdulelah Al Malki.

Adil Boulbina, Darwin Nunez and Clayton Diandy were listed as the projected attacking trio, with Bruno Lage named as coach. Vietnam.vn reported that Al Diriyah had collected two wins, two draws and one defeat across their previous five matches, highlighting their record of losing only once during that period.

The teams had met once in the recent head-to-head record cited by Vietnam.vn, with Al Nassr winning that encounter. The upcoming fixture offered the Riyadh hosts an opportunity to add points to their total and maintain pressure on Al Hilal and Al Ittihad in the league standings.