Zach Muscat’s Farense to face Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in pre-season friendly on July 14

Malta international player Zach Muscat could be set for a rare opportunity of marking one of the world’s best football players of his generation as his club Sporting Farense are set to play in a friendly against Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

The pre-season friendly is set to be played at the Estadio Algarve on July 14.

Al Nassr announced last week that they were planning an 18-day camp in Cristiano Ronaldo’s homeland, Portugal, during which they will be preparing for the start of the season as they look to make up for last season’s disappointment of finishing second in the Saudi Arabian league.

Ronaldo, 38, arrived at the Saudi club in December 2022 and, in 19 games for the club in different competitions, the Portuguese international striker scored 14 goals.

No doubt, the friendly will be a great opportunity for Zach Muscat and his Farense team-mates to play against Ronaldo and the Al Nassr side who have been looking to bolster their squad with some quality signings.

In fact this week they reached a verbal agreement to sign Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and the Saudi club are working hard to finalise the deal with the Italian Serie A side.

During their stay in Portugal, Al Nassr are also expected to play some high-profile friendlies against Benfica and Celta Vigo before heading to Japan where they will meet Paris Saint Germain and Inter.

On the other hand, for Muscat’s Farense the match against Al Nassr is one of two high-profile friendlies as they step up their preparations for their return to the Portuguese top-flight next season.

Farense will face Sporting Lisbon on July 19 at a venue that is still yet to be announced.

Muscat and the other Farense players will start their pre-season preparations next week as on Monday they will undergo the necessary medical examinations before holding their first pre-season training session on Tuesday under the guidance of coach Jose Mota.

Farense’s first domestic appointment will be on July 22 when they open their commitments in the Portuguese’s Allianz Cup.