Al-Nassr coach before the Al-Zawraa match: Ronaldo is a starter and Simakan doesn't worry us
The coaching staff of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr team confirmed the team's complete readiness for their upcoming match against Iraq's Al-Zawraa, scheduled for Wednesday, as part of the sixth round of the Asian Champions League group stage. This match comes at a time when Al-Nassr is aiming to solidify its lead and continue its positive run of results, despite having already secured qualification for the next round. This reflects the team's strong desire to maintain its winning streak and boost the confidence of both the players and the fans.
Ronaldo's return and the challenge of the long hiatus
During the pre-match press conference, Al-Nassr's coach revealed that the team's captain, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, would be in the starting lineup for the match against Al-Zawraa. The coach explained that the team faces the challenge of being away from competitive matches for 28 days, a relatively long break in the world of professional football that could affect the players' match sharpness.
The coach added in his statement to the media: "We are aware that we will be facing the second best team in our group, and despite being away from the atmosphere of official competition for almost a month, we have worked very hard during training. Tomorrow's match represents an ideal opportunity to regain our rhythm and continue to develop. We are leading the league and our Asian group, but our ambition drives us to seek more technical and physical development.".
Dealing with absences and injuries
Regarding the team's absences, Al-Nasr's coach downplayed the impact of defender Mohammed Simakan's absence, explaining the details of his health condition by saying: "Simakan suffered from muscle fatigue followed by a cold that affected his physical readiness, which necessitated resting him. However, the absence of Simakan or Martinez does not cause me any concern; we have a strong bench and players capable of compensating for any deficiency and providing the required contribution on the field.".
The coach also spoke about the preparations during the break, pointing out the differences between the summer preparation and the recent Abu Dhabi camp, saying: "The Emirati camp was short, but we took advantage of it to intensify the tactical and physical work, and we focused last week on preparing for this match in the best possible way to ensure the team appears in a manner befitting it.".
Infrastructure and the future of the team
In a related context, the coach praised the club's advanced infrastructure, specifically the new "Dar Al Nasr" training ground adjacent to "Al Awal Park" stadium. He emphasized that these facilities rival those of international clubs and contribute to raising player performance, advising other clubs to emulate Al Nasr's development of sports facilities.
He concluded his remarks about the upcoming winter transfer window, stressing that it is still too early to talk about the details, saying: "There is only a short time left before the winter window opens, and we will see then what can happen to strengthen the team's ranks in line with our goals for the current season.".
