Olunga set to clash against Cristiano Ronaldo in the AFC Champions League

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga will get the chance of playing against five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday night when both players line up for their teams in the third round of the 2023/24 Asian Champions League (AFC).

Olunga’s Al Duhail, who are the reigning champions in the Qatar Stars League (QSL), will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to face Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the Group E fixture slated to take place at the Al-Awwal Park.

As things stand, Al Nassr top the standings on 6 points after winning their opening two games followed by Persepolis who are in second spot on 3 points.

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Duhail, who recently appointed former PSG coach Christopher Galtier to replace Argentine legend Hernan Crespo, sit third on the log having managed just one point from the opening two games, similar to fourth -placed Istiqlol Dushanbe (1D 1L).

The match will also see Olunga come up against former Liverpool star Sadio Mane and former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte who are also in the Al Nassr squad.

Olunga did not feature in Duhail’s last game against Al-Gharafa back on October 14 but is expected to be up for selection for the crucial match for his team.

“In Allah’s protection, our first team of football delegation leaves Doha heading to the Saudi capital Riyadh in preparation for the coming AFC Champions League Group Stage fixture versus Al Nasr scheduled next Tuesday evening.

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Al Duhail delegation consists of the players, the technical staff, the administrative staff, and the media staff. The team performed their final training session during which the technical staff assessed the players’ technical and physical readiness,” the club posted on their website.

Last season Al Duhail reached the semifinals of the tournament but have struggled to replicate those heights so far this season.

Olunga has also been crowned the top scorer in the competition in the 2021 edition where he scored 9 goals to win the Golden Boot that year.

In the other Group E fixture, Iran’s Persepolis will be looking to cement their second spot when they take on Dushanbe.

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Having lost at home on the opening day against Al Nassr and with a trip to the star-studded Saudis still to come, winning Group E may be a tall order for them. But the Tehran giants remain in a strong position to at least finish as runners-up and potentially reach the last 16.

An impressive 1-0 away victory against Al Duhail last time out gave them the perfect platform to move further ahead of the Qatari side – who many would consider their biggest rivals for second place – ahead of back-to-back fixtures against Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol.

Two wins from two would leave Persepolis looking good ahead of a rematch with Al Nassr in late-November.

But with only three of five runners-up in the West advancing, a win in front of home support is surely a must.