Saudi Arabia's odds to win the World Cup
750/1
Best World Cup
Second round 1994
2018 World Cup
Group stage
Saudi Arabia's World Cup Schedule
|
Date |
Fixture |
Location |
|
22nd November 10am |
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail |
|
|
26th November 1pm |
Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan |
|
|
30th November 7pm |
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail |
Road to Qatar
Having breezed through their initial qualifying group that included Uzbekistan, Singapore, Yemen and Palestine, Saudi Arabia looked equally impressive in the second phase, suffering just one defeat (2-0 in Japan), and winning seven of their remaining nine games, to finish top of a tricky group that also included Vietnam, China, Oman and Australia (who went on to qualify via a playoff).
Recent form
Saudi Arabia's four games since qualifying could be an indicator of their strategy for the World Cup itself. A scarcity of goals saw them lose to Colombia and Venezuela by the same 1-0 scoreline, before sharing goalless draws with Ecuador and the USA.
Saudi Arabia squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal), Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Yami (Al-Ahly)
Defenders: Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Madu (Al-Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabab), Sultan Al-Ghanam (Al-Nassr), Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal)
Midfielders: Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Riyadh Sharahili (Abha), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal), Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal), Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Ittihad), Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab)
Forwards: Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al-Shabab), Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal) Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh)
Team Insights
Probable formation 4-5-1 Given a dearth of attacking quality capable of troubling international class defenders, Saudi Arabia are likely to opt for damage limitation by packing the midfield in front of an orthodox back four. Few of the Saudi squad will be familiar to global audiences, but the fact that they mostly play in the same domestic league might work in their favour in terms of familiarity with each other's games. Goals will be at a premium for Herve Renard's team, which suggests that the La Liga experience of winger Salem Al-Dawsari and promising young striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan could prove vital as an attacking outlet.
World Cup prospects
Saudi Arabia will go into the World Cup with hopes that probably far exceed their realistic expectations, but the World Cup has provided shocks before, which means their more illustrious opponents should not take three points for granted. That said, if Argentina, Mexico and Poland are switched on, then the Saudis should be making the trip home before the knock-out phase gets under way. Best hope: a safe flight home on December 1st.
Read more about each of Saudi Arabia's Group C opponents: