Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will miss the Inter Miami vs Al Nassr match on Thursday.
A look at the lineup from the Inter Miami X handle, @InterMiamiCF also showed that Messi is not in the match day squad.
The showdown, a part of the Riyadh Season Cup, was eagerly awaited as a clash of titans between Ronaldo and Messi.
According to Live Mint, Ronaldo continues to recover from a calf injury.
Al Nassr’s manager, Luis Castro clarified that Ronaldo’s recovery was in its concluding phase but not sufficient to take part in the upcoming Inter Miami vs Al Nassr game.
“Cristiano is in the final stage of his recuperation before re-joining the team. We expect that, in the next few days, he will start working with the team.
“So, obviously, it will mean he is absent for the game (against Inter Miami),” PTI quoted Castro as saying at a news conference on January 31.
Last Dance
The absence of Ronaldo from the match on February 1 disrupts what many had dubbed the Inter Miami vs Al Nassr match as the ‘Last Dance’ of the legends.
The clash, now missing one of its key players, follows a series of events for both teams.
For Al Nassr, the injury led to the cancellation of two exhibition matches scheduled in China.
Inter Miami, integrating Messi into their roster, navigated through their fourth pre-season fixture.
The team suffered a narrow loss to FC Dallas, a draw against El Salvador and a recent defeat by Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup’s first match.
Luis Suarez bagged his maiden goal for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi scored a penalty but it was not enough to stop the Major League Soccer side falling to a 4-3 defeat against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in Riyadh on Monday.
Starting lineup
Scheduled for February 1 at 7 pm, the Al Nassr vs Inter Miami match is set to unfold at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As obtained from the club’s X account, @AlNassrFC_EN, here is the Al Nassr FC lineup: Ospina (GK) — Sultan, Laporte, Alamri, Telles — Brozovic, Al-Sulaihem— Talisca, Otavio, Maran — Alalewa.
Here is the Inter Miami lineup: Callender (GK) — Alba, Gressel, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Allen — Ruiz, Busquets, Gregore — Campana, Suarez+
