Saudi Arabia vs China

King Saud University Stadium forms the backdrop for a ‘make or break’ FIFA World Cup qualifier between Saudi Arabia and China.

After securing back-to-back appearances at the World Cup finals, Saudi Arabia could miss out on the most prestigious international tournament for the first time since 20214. Except for a 2-1 win against upcoming rivals China in September’s reverse fixture, the Green Falcons have gone winless in all five remaining Group C outings, including the last four on the trot (D2, L2). As a result, they sit level on points with bottom-placed China, albeit only one adrift of second-placed Australia. Terminally unable to find the net, Herve Renard’s men have failed to get on the scoresheet in their last four World Cup qualifiers, contributing to Group C’s worst attacking record of only three goals scored.

Eager to take advantage of Saudi Arabia’s disheartening 0.5 goals per game ratio, China will be out to bounce back from a 3-1 home loss to Japan and maintain their dream of qualifying for the World Cup finals for only the second time in the country’s history. That defeat halted China’s two-game winning streak in the ongoing qualifying cycle – both of which came via single-goal margins. Another tight contest is well on the cards, considering China’s last seven meetings with Saudi Arabia have separated the sides by a full-time margin of under 1.5 goals (W1, D3, L3). Worryingly, they failed to score more than once in six of those seven H2Hs.