Ronaldo begins his quest for the AFC Champions League. Al Ain vs Al Nassr prediction
Al Ain and Al Nassr will meet on Tuesday, 15 September, in the first round of the AFC Champions League league stage. The match will take place in the UAE and kick off at 18:00 CET. I am backing a goals market in this game.
H2H and statistical facts
• Al Ain are unbeaten in 18 consecutive matches.
• The UAE club have scored at least two goals in every game this season.
• Al Nassr have scored and conceded in five consecutive matches.
• The teams have played five matches against each other: one draw and two wins apiece.
Champions of the UAE have made an excellent start to the new season
Al Ain have made an extremely confident start to the new season. The team won their first four UAE league matches, showing impressive attacking form in the opening rounds. The winning run immediately established the reigning champions among the tournament's leading sides.
One of their most convincing results was a 2-0 victory over Kalba. This success was Al Ain's fourth consecutive league win and kept the team on a perfect record ahead of their return to international competition.
However, immediately before their meeting with Al Nassr, the hosts dropped their first points. On 10 September, Al Ain drew 2-2 at home with Al Wasl. The team took the lead twice, but their opponents managed to fight back, meaning the hosts enter the Asian Champions League unbeaten but no longer with a perfect record.
Al Ain will certainly be counting on home advantage and the psychological edge. The team know their opponents well from previous meetings, while the overall head-to-head record is evenly balanced: Al Ain have won twice, as have Al Nassr, with one draw.
Ronaldo to make another attempt to become Asian champion
Al Nassr made a very strong start to the season under Ange Postecoglou. The Saudi club won several matches in a row, including a 4-0 thrashing of Al Riyadh, followed by a 3-2 victory over Al Ettifaq. In the King's Cup, the team also began with a 4-1 win over Al-Diriyah.
At the end of August, Al Nassr extended their winning run by beating Al Taawoun 2-1. However, the team then faced their first serious test. On 5 September, Al Ittihad handed Postecoglou's side their first defeat of the season, winning 2-1, with George Ilenikhena scoring twice inside the opening 22 minutes.
They bounced back on 9 September in a home match against Abha. Al Nassr won 2-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the 979th goal of his career. The Portuguese forward remains the team's main attacking threat and heads into the match in excellent motivational form.
However, Al Nassr dropped points again in their next game, drawing 1-1 away to Al-Khaleej. As a result, the team have won just one of their last three matches. Their defence is also a concern: after seven rounds, the Saudi club have conceded eight goals, and ahead of the start of their Asian campaign, it will be particularly important to prevent Al Ain from exploiting the space behind the defence.
Probable line-ups
• Al Ain: Khalid Eisa – Rafael Rodrigues, Yahya Ben Khalek, Rami Rabia, Giorgi Skoko, Valentino Lazaro — Alejandro Romero, Abdelkarim Traore, Matías Palacios – Jonas Santos, Georgios Jakumakis.
• Al Nassr: Bento — Nawaf Boushal, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Iñigo Martínez, Saad Al-Nasser – Samu Costa, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Ângelo, Sadio Mané – Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix.
What to bet on?
Al Ain look like the more stable team at the moment: the hosts are unbeaten in the league, although they have not yet faced an opponent of the Saudi club's level. Al Nassr have a more star-studded squad and vast international experience, but their recent results have highlighted problems with defensive reliability. At the same time, Ronaldo and his teammates are capable of punishing the hosts for any mistake. Given the attacking potential of both sides and Al Nassr's defensive problems, the match could well produce plenty of goals, so I recommend backing both teams to score.
