Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will today meet for what could feasibly be the last time in their illustrious careers as Paris Saint-Germain travel to Saudi Arabia for a glamour mid-season friendly against an All-Stars XI.
Ronaldo is yet to make an appearance for Al-Nassr following his money-spinning move to the Middle East due to an English FA ban imposed on him, which FIFA upheld, from his Manchester United days.
The Portugal forward, however, will captain an All-Stars XI made up of players plying their trade in the Saudi League as PSG come to Riyad.
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Messi, meanwhile, has returned from winning the World Cup with Argentina in fine fettle. The Argentina star scored on his domestic return against Angers and showed on his last visit to the Middle East that he remains a spectacular sight to behold.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Paris Saint-Germain vs Saudi All-Stars XI is scheduled for a 5pm GMT kick-off time on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
The King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will host.
Where to watch PSG vs Saudi All-Star XI
TV channel: No live UK television coverage has been confirmed ahead of the game.
Live stream: Fans can also catch the game live online via PSG’s club channels, across PSG TV, YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
PSG vs Saudi All-Star XI team news
🆗📄 The Parisian starting XI for #PSGRiyadhSeasonTeam! #PSGQatarTour2023 pic.twitter.com/ENU3xawEuy
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 19, 2023
For the Saudi All-Star XI, the fact Ronaldo is captaining means he will be starting the game. Salem Al-Dawsari – who scored for Saudi against Messi’s Argentina at the World Cup – should feature, along with the likes of Moussa Marega, Anderson Talisca and Andre Carillo.
David Ospina, however, is out with an elbow injury.
PSG vs Saudi All-Star XI prediction
Clearly, it’s difficult to take games of this nature too seriously, though surely PSG will be the most likely winner here.
While goals are always expected in all-star friendly games, the coherence of a team who play together week in, week out should be enough.
PSG to win 3-2.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
This is the first meeting between the two sides.
PSG vs Saudi All-Star XI latest odds
PSG: 3/10
Draw: 4/1
Saudi All-Stars XI: 11/2
