Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro revealed why Cristiano Ronaldo missed their game during the week against Istiklol in the AFC Champions League.
After a disappointing 3-0 defeat to rivals Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League last week, Al-Nassr were looking to bounce back with a Champions League game during the week,
The Riyadh giants took on Tajik side Istiklol in their final game of the group stages but only earned a point as they were held to a 1-1 draw with a makeshift lineup.
Head coach Luis Castro made multiple changes before the game and decided to rest a number of his star players led by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking on Ronaldo’s absence, Castro revealed that the Portuguese needed time to recover after their game against Al-Hilal.
“When I am a fan I always hope to watch Ronaldo play, but as a coach, it’s very difficult to risk fielding a player who is not ready knowing that we already qualified for the next round,” Castro said in a press conference.
“I understand the questions about Ronaldo being excluded from the squad, and I am sure that he wants to be with the team always.
“But I have to rotate the squad and make sure everyone is fully fit because the season is long and we need to rest players,” he added.
Al-Nassr will look to return to winning ways on Friday when they meet Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League’s 16th round.