Saudi Arabia road to Russia 2018 World Cup
There used to be a time when Saudi Arabia was a ubiquitous team in the World Cup scene, but following several missteps during the qualification process they failed to make the cut for the 2010 and 2014 editions. Luckily for the Green Falcons, a last minute win against Japan and a poor performance by the Australian team allowed them to snatch a second place in their group, thus finally providing them with the desired ticket to the global tournament. Recent drama surrounding the Saudi Arabia's coach position has added an additional strain to their overall chances and they remain near the very bottom of odds makers contemplations, check Saudi Arabia betting odds here.
The road to Russia was paved with lots of difficulties for the Middle Eastern squad, with a series of encounters that had their World Cup chances at the brink of failure, but ultimately earning the necessary points for the qualification. The story began with a tough match before the Thai team that ended in a lackluster penalty shoot by Nawaf Al Abed, who saved the day again for the Saudis by scoring two times before the Iraqi team in the following game. A 1-0 victory at Australia provided by Al Shamrani and a close defeat to Japan later in October of 2016 put them on the second place of their group. Lastly, the Van Marwijk-led team took on Japan for the home rematch and Fahad Al Muwallad scored a single goal that took them ahead of the score in October of 2017.
Saudi Arabia Key Players
Shock waves broke the contentment of the Saudi fan base when Dutch Bert Van Marwijk was sent away following his team's qualification, being soon replaced by Argentinean Bauza, who in turn quit the post after strong disagreements with the team's management. The role was very recently given to Chilean Juan Antonio Pizzi, who had taken his squad to the Copa America Centario back in 2016. During Van Marwijk's 2-year tenure, Saudi Arabia was able to build a reliable strategy of team work that now appears threatened by the sudden coach replacements; friendly encounters against Moldova -which they won 3-0-, a 4-1 loss to Iraq, a single goal tie with Ukraine and a devastating defeat to the Belgian team in March have put their coaching debacle in utter evidence.
Osama Hawsani remains at the helm of his team, albeit his decreased stamina and drive are valid grounds for concern. Among Saudi Arabia's key players we can find Nawaf Al Abed, whose excellent skills at goal-making opportunities should provide his team with a much-needed forward push. Likewise, Muhammad Assiri and Fahad Al Muwallad are expected to shine during the Russian World Cup. Asian Player of the Year Nasser Al Shamrani is expected to miss, while newcomer Muhammed Al Burayk will make his debut with his national team. Pizzi and his squad are currently positioned at the 63rd place of the FIFA rankings and share the embarrassing last spot of the World Cup betting odds with prices ranging at 1000-5000 to 1 at most sportsbooks.
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