Al Nassr will face FC Istiklol in the AFC Champions League Two on Wednesday without talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.

As has been the case for the entire competition thus far, Ronaldo was left out of the matchday squad for Al Nassr's trip to Tajikistan.

After finishing third place in the Saudi Pro League last season, Al Nassr only managed to qualify for the AFC Champions League Two, a second-tier competition behind the AFC Champions League Elite.

That has given Al Nassr a chance to rest the veteran Portuguese star.

“I thought this was the best time to rest Cristiano Ronaldo," Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said last month ahead of a Champions League game against Al Zawraa. "He’s currently 40 years old, and we fear he might suffer injuries, that’s why I decided to exclude him."

Even without Ronaldo, Al Nassr has begun the competition with four wins from four games.

Al Nassr will finish group play with a match against Al Zawraa on Dec. 24. The top two finishers in the group will advance to the round of 16 in February.

Ronaldo has once again been in scintillating form in league play, scoring 10 goals in nine league games so far. Al Nassr currently tops the Saudi Pro League table with a perfect record of nine wins from those nine matches.

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing for Al Nassr vs. Istiklol?

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect