Al Nassr have confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the first leg of their AFC Champions League round of 16 tie against Iranian side Esteghal due to a minor injury.
The Saudi team, led by coach Stefano Pioli, will begin their campaign without their star forward, as Ronaldo’s name was omitted from the traveling squad, which was shared on social media.
While there had been rumors suggesting that Ronaldo’s absence was due to potential punishment from the Iranian government, these claims were denied by the Iranian embassy.
Pioli clarified in the pre-match press conference that Ronaldo is dealing with a physical issue and it was decided that he would sit out the match to avoid aggravating the injury. “It’s not a major issue, but we preferred to rest him for this game,” Pioli explained.