Asian Champions League: Ronaldo and Al Nassr face Shabab Al Ahli test to reach group stage

Cristiano Ronaldo's rollercoaster start to the season faces a fresh challenge when Al Nassr take on UAE champions Shabab Al Ahli in an Asian Champions League play-off clash on Tuesday evening.

The eyes of the football world have been glued on Saudi Arabia this summer as the Saudi Pro League embarked on an unprecedented transfer window which has seen the top clubs recruit some of the biggest names in the game.

Nassr, whom Ronaldo joined last December, have been in the thick of the action as the Riyadh giants set about boosting their squad with the arrival of former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, midfielders Marcelo Brozovic and Seko Fofana from Inter Milan and Lens respectively, and full-back Alex Telles from Manchester United.

The latest speculation claims Manchester City's treble-winning defender Aymeric Laporte will be the next star to pull on the yellow and blue shirt.

Given their impressive summer of recruitment, Nassr will be expected to make their mark in the Asian Champions League this season. But first they need to earn their place in the tournament alongside Saudi champions Al Ittihad – led by Karim Benzema – 2022 Kings Cup winners Al Fayha, and Al Hilal.

Record four-time Asian champions Hilal, who last won the title in 2021 and fell narrowly short in the final last season, have refreshed their squad with the signing of top-level talent in the form of Brazilian superstar Neymar, Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, Brazilian winger Malcom, Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Before Nassr can think about joining their Saudi rivals in the Asian Champions League, though, they will need to