Keeper Chaos Ahead: Bento Poised to Start as Al-Nassr Faces Neom
5 March 2026
Update on Nawaf Al-Aqidi's fitness and role
The Saudi goalkeeper has suffered a back injury in recent weeks.
The Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus has sealed Nawaf Al-Aqidi's fate for the Neom clash in the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Nasr will host Neom on Saturday, at Al-Nasr Park, in the 25th round of the Saudi Pro League.
According to the Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadia, Jesus decided to rule out Al-Aqidi from the match squad, given the back injury he is currently dealing with.
The Brazilian Bento will be the first-choice goalkeeper for Al-Nasr against Neom, while Mubarak Al-Buainain will sit on the bench.
The Portuguese coach had called up two young keepers Abdulrahman Al-Etaibi and Sultan Al-Mas to train with the first team in recent period to cover the goalkeeping shortage.
In addition to Al-Aqidi, goalkeeper Raghid Al-Najar also suffers a cruciate ligament injury, revealed by medical tests conducted earlier this week.
Bento has appeared in the last 10 matches for Al-Nasr in the Saudi Pro League, keeping a clean sheet in seven straight games, before the team conceded in a 3-1 win over Al-Fayha in round 24.
Outlook and context
Bento's recent form has been strong, with seven consecutive clean sheets in ten appearances before the latest result, while the rest of the squad keeps fingers crossed for stability in depth between rounds.
Punchline 1: If this keeps up, Al-Nassr might need a goalkeeper-themed sitcom—because the plot twists are coming fast and the backline is still under construction.
Punchline 2: If saves were currency, Bento would be minting coins—though the taxman would probably prefer a clean sheet for every goal conceded by the bench.
