Will Sadio Mane and Joao Felix play for Al-Nassr against FC Goa in India? Reports sheds light on their availability after Cristiano Ronaldo update

Cristiano Ronaldo's availability for Al-Nassr's trip to FC Goa in the AFC Champions League Two reportedly remains unclear. As reported by Sportstar, while the Portuguese superstar's availability remains in doubt, Joao Felix and Sadio Mane are both likely to feature.

Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr will take on Indian side FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Wednesday, October 22. Given the amount of star power present in the Al-Nassr side, there is plenty of excitement in India for the game.

While Cristiano Ronaldo is by far the biggest star in the Al-Nassr side, there are plenty of suggestions that he might not feature in the game. He did not even feature as a substitute in the first two group-stage games against FC Istiklol at home and Iraq’s Al Zawraa away.

As of now, there is no update on whether the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will feature in the game or not. A top FC Goa official told Sportstar:

“We reached out to them [Al Nassr] regarding the possibility of Ronaldo coming, but they told us that they will let us know in due course of time. However, as things stand, there has been no official confirmation on whether Ronaldo will come or not."

However, Sportstar claims that former Liverpool star Sadio Mane and ex-Chelsea attacker Joao Felix will both feature. Al-Nassr sit at the top of the AFC Champions League Two Group D standings with six points while FC Goa are at the bottom with no point.

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Al-Nassr star provides response when asked about Cristiano Ronaldo's level this season

Al-Nassr star Joao Felix has lavished praise on his club and international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. The Knights of Najd secured a 5-1 win against Al-Fateh on Saturday, October 18 with Felix and Ronaldo both on the scoresheet.

Felix scored a hat-trick for Jorge Jesus' side while Cristiano Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman both scored once. Following the game, Felix hailed Ronaldo's levels even at the age of 40. He said:

“He’s doing like he always does, he tries to be the best, he is so competitive and it’s a part of him, he will be like this until the last day he plays football so we just need to enjoy the last moment we have with him and yeah enjoy the moment because this goes too fast."

Cristiano Ronaldo has been in sensational form for Al-Nassr this season with six goals and two assists in seven games across competitions. They are at the top of the Saudi Pro League table with a flawless record after five games.

Edited by Snehanjan Banerjee