ACL Elite: Al Nassr's Pioli and Simakan bullish ahead of semi-final | OneFootball

On Wednesday, Al Nassr will attempt to seal a spot in their first Asian final of the AFC Champions League era, when they take on Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah.

The Roshn Saudi League club, currently third in the domestic standings, know that a fellow Saudi Arabian side would then be awaiting them in Saturday's AFC Champions League Elite showpiece, with RSL champions Al Hilal taking on Al Ahli the previous night.

For Al Nassr, they go into the semi-final clash in top form. Stefano Pioli’s men have tasted defeat once in their past nine matches, winning six of those, including this month’s Capital Derby at Riyadh rivals Al Hilal.

Al Nassr’s most recent victory came on Saturday, when they clinically dispatched last year’s Champions League runners-up Yokohama F. Marinos 4-1 at Prince Abdullah Bin Faisal Stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, was among the scorers, the Al Nassr captain netting his eighth goal of the Asian campaign to continue his dual assault on both the continental and RSL golden boot.

So, can Ronaldo and Co create history at Alinma Stadium on Wednesday, and tee up an all-RSL final?

Check out what some of the Al Nassr protagonists had to say a day out from their Frontale tussle, as they looked forward to etching their names in the record books.

Stefano Pioli (Al Nassr manager)

“This is a very important semi-final match, and the team is well prepared and fully focused on winning. We’re excited and ready to give our all. We know our opponents well, having studied them through video analysis. They are organised, fast and deserving of their place here, but so are we.

“Our performance keeps improving, and we’re working hard to be in top condition - a reflection of the strength of Saudi Arabian teams. We’ll finalise our line-up during training and do everything we can to win.”

Mohamed Simakan (Al Nassr defender)

“Every game is different, and every game is another situation for defending. I will try to find the best solution to prevent them from scoring. But we also have to try to play together and be compact.

“We are here to win this game, and we will give everything because the semi-final is an important stage, and we want to be in the final.

“We need everyone - including the fans - to be together to push us on the pitch. We will give our best and I’m sure that will help us win the game."