Saudi Gazette report

HONG KONG — Al Ittihad head coach Laurent Blanc remained tight-lipped on how he plans to contain Cristiano Ronaldo, as his side prepares to face Al Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final in Hong Kong.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Blanc was asked directly about his approach to stopping Ronaldo.

He replied with a smile: “If I had the solution to stop Ronaldo, I wouldn't share it with you. He’s a great player, and Al Nassr have a lot of quality players. We need to defend well and score to win.”

Blanc, who took over Al Ittihad during the last summer, emphasized the team's mental and psychological readiness.

“We are here with one clear goal to win the tournament. We are mentally prepared, and we know our opponent well,” he said.

Asked whether Al Ittihad plans to make squad changes after the tournament, Blanc replied: “The transfer window is still open, but I don’t know if we’ll make changes... we’ll see.”

The French coach praised his squad's performance last season, saying: “The team did well and showed a strong level. We’re missing Hassan Kadesh and Fawaz Al-Sqoor in defense, but we have good replacements.”

On potential new signings, Blanc added: “I’ve already said it would be great to have two or three more players to strengthen the league with more talent. But I’m satisfied with the squad I have.”

Team captain Karim Benzema also spoke at the press conference, saying he looked forward to facing his former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo. “It’s always special to face someone you once played with. Cristiano is an outstanding player. But tomorrow’s match is about Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr.”

Sending a message to the fans, Benzema concluded: “To our dear Saudi supporters we need your support. We’ll show you what we can do on the pitch.”