Al-Nassr will begin their Roshn League campaign on Saturday against Al-Fateh, but Nawaf Al-Aqidi is now a doubt after bruising his shoulder in training earlier this week. Carlos Miguel is due to assess him after the final training session on Friday evening before deciding whether he is fit to play.
The timing matters because this is Al-Nassr's first league game of the new season, and the goalkeeper question is still open. Al-Aqidi had been pushing to win back minutes this season, but his path has already been complicated by the fact that he lost his place to Bento after errors against Al-Qadsiah and Al-Hilal in the Roshn League.
His situation also carries a wider edge. Al-Aqidi came close to leaving Al-Nassr this summer after the club rejected his renewal terms, and his name was linked with Al-Fateh and Al-Shabab. That left him trying to force his way back into the senior national team, after losing his place to Mohammed Al-Owais.
The shoulder bruise does not close the door on Saturday, but it leaves Al-Nassr waiting until the last possible check. If Carlos Miguel rules him out on Friday evening, Al-Nassr will have to open the season without a goalkeeper who had spent the summer trying to reclaim both his club role and his international standing.
