Asian champions Al Ain have no room for error as they aim to get their AFC Champions League Elite campaign back on track against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr on Tuesday.
Hernan Crespo’s team have a solitary point from three games and are fighting to keep their continental hopes alive in Group B; they are currently in 11th position while only the top eight qualify for the next stage.
Al Ain have not tasted victory in three matches across competitions, which included a high-scoring defeat to Al Hilal last time out, adding more pressure for the match at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Tuesday.
While Al Ain have not been in the best of form, their opponents have some concerns of their own.
Al Nassr, in fifth position in Group B, were held to a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal that left them five points behind their bitter rivals in the Saudi Pro League standings and also stretched their winless run to three matches.
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Neymar applauds the fans after Al Hilal's 5-4 AFC Champions League Elite win over Al Ain at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on October 21, 2024. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Salem Al Dawsari celebrates after scoring for Al Hilal in their 5-4 Asian Champions League victory over Al Ain. EPA -
Al Hilal defender Ali Al Bulayhi of is sent off in the 82nd minute. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Neymar in action for Al Hilal after coming on as a second-half substitute. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Soufiane Rahimi scores from the spot for Al Ain to compete his hat-trick in injury-time. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Neymar made his first appearance in more than a year. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Soufiane Rahimi, left, celebrates after scoring for Al Ain in the 39th minute to make it 1-1. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates with teammate Neymar after the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Hilal's Salem Al Dawsari celebrates after scoring one of his three goals. EPA -
Al Ain's Mohammad Abbas on the attack at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Getty Images -
Renan Lod celebrates after putting Al Hilal 1-0 up in the 26th minute. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo with his Al Hilal counterpart Jorge Jesus before the game. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The Al Ain starting XI before the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Neymat started on the bench for Al Hilal. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Hilal attacker Neymar warms-up before the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Hilal's Brazilian attacker Neymar warms-up before the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National
What's more, Portuguese star Ronaldo has suddenly found himself in a goal drought, failing to score in four games including a rare missed penalty against Al Taawoun.
Nassr, who earlier were on a run of seven wins in a row across competitions, were surprisingly held by Al Kholood in a 3-3 draw before suffering a shock 1-0 home defeat to Al Taawoun in the King's Cup. They were then held by SPL leaders Al Hilal in the league after taking an early lead.
Ronaldo and Al Nassr still have two chances at silverware this season but are already well behind leaders Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League and have seven points from three games in the group stage of the Asian Champions League.
“Technically we performed well but we couldn’t win the game,” manager Stefano Pioli said after the King's Cup defeat. “We feel disappointed to be out of the cup. But we still have two trophies to go for and we will give our best in them.”
Al Ain manager Crespo said that while his team need to put in a much better performance, luck is also a factor.
"We are well aware of what is required from us and we do have full confidence in our capabilities to realise our goal, which is to qualify to the next stage," Crespo said.
"Sometimes the team needs the luck factor because we did not [have] a weak performance against Al Hilal and we did not deserve to face defeat."
Al Ain began their defence of the Asian title with a 1-1 draw against Al Sadd but since then, have lost to Al Gharafa 4-2 followed by an agonising loss to Hilal two weeks ago where even a hat-trick from Soufiane Rahimi was not enough for victory.
Al Ain have not fared well in the Adnoc Pro League either. Their last two games in the domestic competition have been disappointing, including a 2-1 home defeat to Al Wahda followed by a 1-1 draw to basement team Dibba Al Hisn. They are eighth in the league standings with two wins, two defeats and a draw.
