Al Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo will not travel for the club’s AFC Champions League match in Uzbekistan, where the Saudi side face Pakhtakor in Tashkent on Monday. Head coach Ange Postecoglou has opted to manage his squad through rotation, while broader regional security considerations have also influenced the decision. Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick in the Saudi Pro League last week to lift his combined club-and-country total to 985 goals, has been rested as Postecoglou focuses on protecting players during a congested fixture calendar. Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan have likewise been excluded from the travelling group for the important continental fixture.
