Quoting a source close to the club, the Al-Nassr team will leave for Goa on Monday afternoon without injured Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, in addition to a number of foreign players.
Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr 5-3 on penalties to win the Saudi Super Cup final in Hong Kong after a dramatic 2-2 draw on Saturday as Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 100th goal for the losing side.
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo may be missing from action, but that will hardly make things easier for FC Goa, who face an uphill task against Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr in their third Group A fixture of the AFC Champions League Two, in Margao, on Wednesday.
Underdogs Kawasaki down Ronaldo's Al-Nassr to book Asian final berth
Al-Nassr ensured all three Saudi Pro League teams reached the Asian Champions League Elite semi-finals as Stefano Pioli's side handed Yokohama F Marinos a 4-1 defeat on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo guided nine-man Al-Nassr to their first ever Arab Club Champions Cup title after scoring twice in a 2-1 extra-time win.
Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday.
"Mateo, Luka and Marcelo are the best Croatia midfield in history. I don't think it can be repeated. When you pass them the ball it is safer than having your money in the bank," the defender said.
They also topped their Nations League group ahead of World Cup holders France, Denmark and Austria, and head into the tournament on the back of a winning streak that culminated in a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in their final warm-up friendly.
Neymar will have extra motivation against Croatia, as he is one goal away from equalling Pele's record
Modric was unable to dictate play as much as he normally would
Croatia stayed on course to reach the 2018 World Cup after two superb strikes by midfielder Marcelo Brozovic gave them a 2-0 home win over Iceland in a Group I qualifier played behind closed doors in Zagreb on Saturday.
There was however still some drama. Croatia were awarded a penalty in the 16th minute when Andrej Kramaric's toe was clipped by Yannick Carrasco and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Group F match between Morocco and Croatia on Wednesday.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Quarter-final match between Croatia and Brazil on Friday.
Images from the FIFA World Cup match between Croatia and Japan on Monday.
The win pulled Inter on level with Napoli. Both have 22 points, six behind leaders Juventus, and Inter have the better goal difference, although positions are ultimately decided on the head-to-head record.
Goals by Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic earned hosts Croatia a 2-0 friendly win over Israel in Osijek on Wednesday in a free-flowing match containing several missed chances.
Rahim Sterling, something of a surprise starter after a flat end to the domestic season but a favourite of manager Gareth Southgate, slid home a 61st-minute shot after great work by Kalvin Phillips to end an individual drought that had run through England's three previous major tournaments.
A round-up of Friday's action in the UEFA Nations League.
Alessandria became the first third tier club to reach the Italian Cup quarter-finals in more than 30 years as their giant-killing run continued with a 2-1 extra-time victory at Serie A strugglers Genoa on Tuesday.
Coach Roberto Mancini has insisted that he never doubted his captain Mauro Icardi after the striker scored two goals in Inter Milan's 4-0 victory at Udinese in Serie A.
They can now dream of going one better than their third-place finish in 1998, which marked their first participation in the World Cup finals as an independent nation.
Croatia had shown glimpses of their potential at the last European Championships in France two years ago when they beat Spain but went out in the second round to eventual winners Portugal after conceding in extra time.
Juventus held off a remarkable Inter Milan comeback by winning their Italian Cup tie 5-3 on penalties on Wednesday after a 3-3 draw on aggregate to set up a final against AC Milan.
Sevilla clinched a sixth Europa League title with a roller-coaster 3-2 win over Inter Milan after an overhead kick by defender Diego Carlos deflected by the Italian side's top scorer Romelu Lukaku settled a thrilling contest on Friday.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday night.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field
Defender Miguel Britos was sent off for head-butting an opponent as Napoli lost 3-1 at champions Juventus on Saturday, all but ending their hopes of Champions League football next season.
Jubilant fans thronged central Belgrade, bringing traffic at the main Republic Square to a halt as they waved Serbian flags and hooted their car horns.
Inter Milan went on a rare scoring spree to thrash Serie A newcomers Frosinone 4-0 and go clear at the top on Sunday, the first time Roberto Mancini's team have won a league match by more than one goal this season.
Paul Pogba repaid some of his world record transfer fee with two goals as Manchester United rediscovered their early-season shine, cruising to a 4-1 Europa League win over Fenerbahce to go top of their group on Thursday. Pogba scored a penalty and rifled United's third into the top corner. Anthony Martial also netted from the spot and Jesse Lingard fired home in the second half before former Old Trafford favourite Robin van Persie pulled one back for Fenerbahce. Inter Milan and AS Roma, though, had more testing evenings. Coach Frank de Boer breathed a sigh of relief when Inter survived an onslaught from Southampton to end a three-match losing streak with a 1-0 victory while Roma conceded twice late on to draw 3-3 at home to Austria Vienna.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Substitute Ricardo Quaresma turned in three minutes from the end of extra time as Portugal edged a tense encounter to book a UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-final date with Poland. After 116 minutes in which the teams failed to muster a single shot on target, Ivan Perisic headed against the upright.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
An inspired Wayne Rooney became Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer in European competition to ignite their crucial 4-0 trouncing of Feyenoord.
A guide to the Croatia starting 11 ahead of the World Cup final against France.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances