Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr will look to take a huge step towards the Saudi Pro League title when they travel to Al Qadsiah on Sunday night.
The game (10pm kick off, UAE) comes 24 hours after Riyadh rivals Al Hilal – the only team with a realistic chance of beating them to top spot – kept their own title hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over Al Hazem.
But, as things stand, Nassr are the heavy favourites to get the job done. They are five points clear with four games remaining and know that three more wins will guarantee a first league title since 2019 and a first major honour of the Ronaldo era.
They host Al Hilal on May 12, so a win tonight against Brendan Rodgers' Al Qadsiah and another at Al Shabab on Thursday would set up the chance to secure the silverware against their bitter rivals and turn the Capital Derby into the ultimate title party.
For that dream scenario to have any chance of becoming a reality, first they will need to overcome a Qadsiah side who have enjoyed a strong season and are unbeaten at home in the league with nine wins and six draws from their 15 games at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium.
Rodgers' side boast the league's 28-goal top scorer in Julian Quinones, showed their class when defeating Asian champions Al Ahli at their home in March, and are very much still in the hunt for Asian Champions League qualification.
Al Hilal stay in the mix
Al Hilal, meanwhile, kept their own title hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Al Hazem on Saturday.
Simone Inzaghi's side need to win all their remaining fixtures, beat Al Nassr on May 12, and hope their rivals drop points elsewhere.
Karim Benzema, the January signing from Al Ittihad, opened the scoring after just nine minutes against Hazem to settle any nerves.
Hilal dominated throughout but had to wait until the 82nd minute for a second goal which was eventually tucked away by Marcos Leonardo. Ruben Neves converted a stoppage-time penalty to make it 3–0.
Hilal visit Al Khaleej on Tuesday knowing victory is essential, and hoping that perhaps Al Qadisah might have done them a favour by then.
