Former Celtic winger Jota could make his first competitive start for Saudi club Al-Ittihad since moving to the club in the summer.
The Portuguese star moved to Saudi for a bumper £25miliion fee, but the transfer has not gone to plan due to manager Nuno Espirito Santo leaving the former Benfica man in cold storage.
Saudi Pro League rules state teams can only have eight foreign players in their ranks, and as a result Jota was moved down the pipeline and not named in the club's squad for league fixtures.
However, manager Santo has now confirmed that Jota will feature during the club's AFC Champions League tie against Al-Wahda on Monday.
Speaking to the Saudi Arabian press, Nuno revealed: "Jota will participate in tomorrow’s match, and he is the only player whose participation in the match I can reveal.
"We always try to find solutions to the difficulties we face. All the decisions of the technical staff are in the interest of the team, and through them we seek to develop the players, improve the team’s performance, and contribute to its optimal appearance.
"We have not prioritised one tournament over another. We are working to compete in all possible competitions through ideal preparation."
If Jota does feature, the fixture will be his first minutes since September 1 and if he does start it will be his first since moving to his new club.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel