Postecoglou benches Ronaldo for Tashkent match

Ange Postecoglou left Cristiano Ronaldo off the Al-Nassr roster for Monday's match against Pakhtakor in Tashkent. The decision came as the Saudi club travels to Uzbekistan for an AFC Champions League game.

Postecoglou, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur and the Australian national team, explained the lineup choice at a news conference in Uzbekistan. He stated that he rested Ronaldo, Kingsley Coman, and Mohamed Simakan due to the pressure of matches and the volume of travel involved.

Ronaldo had been in form before the rest. He scored a hat trick in a Saudi Pro League game last week, bringing his career total to 985 goals. The omission from the Tashkent trip marks his second rest of the current continental campaign.

Al-Nassr, which is seeking its first Asian title, currently sits ninth in the western zone group. The club is the lowest-ranked of the five Saudi representatives in the 32-team tournament. The competition is divided into two groups of 16 teams, with the top eight from each side advancing to the knockout rounds.

The club's start to the season has been inconsistent. Postecoglou acknowledged the difficult beginning but noted that the team has reached an excellent stage of preparation despite early lack of complete readiness.

Security concerns continue to influence scheduling in Asia. Last week, Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates declined to travel to Riyadh, causing the Asian Football Confederation to postpone that fixture. Al-Nassr's previous home game on Oct. 12 was delayed by one hour following reports of missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Other Saudi clubs are also navigating the competition. Al-Ahli, the two-time defending champion, is third in its group and travels to Qatar to face Al-Sadd. The Jeddah club lost 6-1 at home on Friday but is expected to have England striker Ivan Toney available. Toney, who has 13 league goals this season, pleaded not guilty to an assault charge in London last week.

Al-Hilal won its fifth straight league match to take the top spot in the Saudi Pro League. Ollie Watkins scored for the Riyadh side. Al-Hilal will host Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in its next continental fixture.

Uncertainty looms over the AFC Asian Cup, which is scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 7. Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto expressed doubt that the tournament will proceed as planned. He told the AFC Congress last month that the situation remained unsafe, making it difficult to host the event.

AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said organizers would monitor the situation until the end of November. He noted that conditions in the region can change quickly and that the tournament could be moved to 2028 if necessary. Saudi organizers state that preparations are on schedule and that all kick-off times and venues were finalized last week.