Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr are set to face off in the Riyadh Season Cup in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, February 1st. Two of the best players ever to grace the football field will compete against each other for the first time since leaving Europe. The match is being dubbed as the final meeting between the two legends of the game as both Messi and Ronaldo nears the end of their careers.
Al Nassr vs Inter Miami Preview
Al-Nassr will be playing for the first time in the mini-tournament, which also includes their Saudi league rivals Al Hilal who beat Messi’s MLS side on Monday. In an exciting match, Al Hilal triumphed 4-3 thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Malcom to take the lead in the mid-season friendly tournament.
To talk about Al Nassr’s form in the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo’s side is currently trailing Al Hilal by seven points in the Saudi Pro League title race, with football currently on hold for a winter break.
Messi’s Inter Miami are looking to bounce back after a disappointing MLS season last time out. Inter Miami finished second last in the East Conference last season, despite Messi’s arrival sending the team on a 12-game unbeaten run. However, Inter Miami just collected three points from their final six matches of the season, missing out on the play offs.
Ronaldo and Messi are both expected to feature for their respective teams for the high-profile match, although Ronaldo’s injury remains a concern. Al Nassr will also miss the services of Sadio Mane, despite Senegal’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday night. Mane is not expected to return to Riyadh in time for the match.
Inter Miami are expected to have all the players available including new joinee Luiz Suarez who scored against Al Hilal in Inter Miami’s last outing.
Match Details:
Date: 1st February
Time: 11.30 PM
Venue: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh
Live Streaming: Al Nassr vs Inter Miami game will only be live-streamed through subscription on AppleTv+
Live Updates: The match will not be broadcast in India
Al-Nassr Probable XI:
Al Aqidi; S Al Ghannam, Al Amri, Laporte, Alex Telles; Brozovic, Al Sulaiheem; Anderson Talisca, K Al Ghannam, Otavio; Ronaldo
Inter Miami Probable XI:
Callender; Yedlin, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Allen, Jordi Alba; Gressel, Busquets, Ruiz; Messi, Suarez