Al-Najma and Al-Nassr have confirmed their starting teams for their meeting in Unaizah in the Saudi Pro League on Wednesday.
After Al-Hilal draw 1-1 at Al-Taawoun on Tuesday, second-placed Al-Nassr are above Simone Inzaghi’s side on goal difference and a point behind Al-Ahli, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s team having a game in hand on both of those sides.
Al-Najma won automatic promotion from the First Division but are eight points from safety, having appointed Serbian-British coach Nestor El Maestro earlier this month in an attempt to escape relegation.
101GreatGoals.com has the line-up news from Al-Najma vs Al-Nassr in the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League, as well as details on how to watch.
Al Najma confirmed team vs Al Nassr
New signing Felippe Cardoso is suspended after the former Santos winger was sent off in the 58th minute of their 4-1 defeat at Al-Ahli on Thursday, with the scoreline 1-1 at the time before former England striker Ivan Toney scored a 25-minute hat-trick.
Left-back Mohammed Al-Kunaydiri will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Al-Najma starting XI: Braga; Vargas, Al-Haleel, A Al-Hawsawi, Samir; Al-Tulayhi, Al-Harabi, Guga, Tijanic; Lazaro, Jasim
Al-Najma substitutes: Boutobba, Al-Anzi, Al-Dubais, Al-Shammari, Al-Aqel, Dawran, N Al-Hawsawi, Al-Fatil, Al-Abdulrazzaq
Al Nassr confirmed starting lineup vs Al Najma
Brazilian midfielder Angelo Gabriel is suspended after being booked in the 4-0 home league win over Al-Hazem on Saturday.
Left-back Saad Al-Nasser and midfielder Sami Al-Najei were left out of the squad as the Saudi Arabia internationals continue their returns to full fitness.
New Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem is also excluded because of the squad limit of eight international players.
Al-Nassr starting XI: Bento; Boushal, Simakan, Al-Amri, Martinez; Brozovic, Khaibari, Coman; Mane, Joao Felix, Ronaldo
Al-Nassr substitutes: Nawaf, Nader, Ayman, Sultan, Salem, Al-Hassan, Ghareeb, Al-Hamdan, Marran
How to watch Al Najma vs Al Nassr: TV channel, online stream
Al-Najma vs Al-Nassr kicks off at 19:00 GMT (14:00 ET / 11:00 PT) on Wednesday. In the UK, the Saudi top-flight broadcast channel is the Saudi Pro League YouTube channel.
In the US, FOX Sports are the Saudi Pro League live broadcasters.
Al Najma vs Al Nassr stats
- This is the first-ever meeting between the teams
- Al-Najma have spent the entire season at the foot of the table but were inspired to their first win of the campaign by El Maestro on February 14, beating Al-Kholood 2-1 at home through goals by Felippe and former Marseille winger Bilal Boutobba
- They have avoided defeat in four of their last six home matches, drawing with Al-Riyadh, Al-Fateh and Al-Khaleej
- Ex-Flamengo and Brazil youth international Lazaro put Al-Najma in front against the leaders with the top scorer’s fifth goal of the season
- That victory over Al-Kholood is the only occasion on which Al-Najma have scored more than once in their last eight matches, failing to net on three occasions during that sequence
- Al-Nassr regained top spot for the first time in 12 matchdays with their victory over Al-Hazem, although Al-Ahli usurped them with a 1-0 win at Damac on Monday
- Ronaldo has 20 goals in 20 league matches this season, putting the Portugal captain third in the top-scorer standings behind Al-Qadsiah’s Julian Quinones (22 in 20 games) and Toney (23 in 22 matches)
- Selecao team-mate Joao Felix is joint-sixth in the standings (13 goals in 22 league games)
- Since a 3-1 defeat at Al-Hilal on January 12, Al-Nassr have won 10 consecutive matches in all competitions
- They have kept eight straight clean sheets since a 2-1 win at Damac on January 21 and earned five wins in a row on the road
Will Cristiano Ronaldo win the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League?
Here’s how the top of the Saudi Pro League looks, with each team playing a total of 34 matches.
| Team | Played | Points | Goal difference |
| Al-Ahli | 23 | 56 | 30 |
| Al-Nassr | 22 | 55 | 39 |
| Al-Hilal | 23 | 55 | 37 |
| Al-Qadsiah | 23 | 53 | 33 |
Ronaldo is yet to win the Saudi Pro League since joining Al-Nassr in 2023, but the title is in their hands with this fixture rescheduled from matchweek 10.
That string of clean sheets is also helping Jorge Jesus’s side, who will have a goal superiority of at least 10 over Al-Ahli if they collect another win and be at least three goals better off than Al-Hilal, who significantly bolstered their attacking ranks by signing former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema earlier this month.
Benzema, who is Real Madrid’s second-top all-time scorer behind Ronaldo, has not been directly involved in a goal since producing a hat-trick and assist against Al-Okhdood on his debut on February 5.
The 38-year-old missed their draw with Al-Taawoun through injury.
What’s next for Al Najma and Al Nassr? Fixtures, schedule
Both teams are next in action on Saturday at 19:00 GMT, when Al-Najma host Al-Okhdood, who are currently second-bottom.
Al-Nassr visit 11th-placed Al-Fayha.