Saudi Arabia Team News, Updates & Facts
Saudi Arabia Team News
Juan Antonio Pizzi is Saudi Arabia’s third manager in less than a year, after Bert van Marwijk – the man who led them to the World Cup – did not renew his contract and instead took charge of Australia. Van Marwijk was replaced by Edgardo Bauza, but the new manager lasted just two months in the role before Pizzi was brought in. Pizzi’s preparations have been hampered by the decision to send players on loan to La Liga backfiring, however. Yahya Al-Shehri did not play a single game for Leganes, Salem Al-Dawsari did not feature for Villarreal and Fahad Al-Muwallad’s Levante experience amounted to just ten minutes as a late substitute.
All three are in Saudi Arabia’s squad, however, having been released early to join the national team’s Spanish training camp and playing in the friendly against Greece to get back up to match speed. From the provisional squad named for Saudi Arabia’s pre-tournament training camp and friendlies, 44-times capped midfielder Nawaf Al-Abed is the most experienced player to have missed the cut for the final 23.
Saudi Arabia Key Players
Captain Osama Hawsawi and midfielder Taisir Al-Jassim bring stacks of international experience to Saudi Arabia and striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi has a brilliant strike rate in international football, but the decision to send players to experience domestic European football is new. Fahad Al Muwallad, who scored the goal which sent Saudi Arabia to the World Cup, has got closest to a La Liga appearance of the three main players sent out on loan. Much is expected of Salem Al-Dawsari, meanwhile, and Pizzi will hope his experience training in Spain, despite not playing, will hold him in good stead for the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia Team Form
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Saudi Arabia’s only two victories in recent friendlies came outside of the FIFA international window, beating Algeria and Greece, both 2-0, as part of their Spanish training camp. Since then, two fixtures in Switzerland both ended in defeat – Yahya Al-Shehri’s late goal not proving enough in a 2-1 defeat to Italy, before a 3-0 loss to Peru. They then lost their final World Cup warm-up against Germany – Taisir Al-Jassim’s late goal not enough to prevent a 2-1 defeat.
Saudi Arabia Preliminary World Cup 2018 squad
Goalkeepers
1 – Abdullah Al-Mayouf (Al-Hilal) – Age 31 – 11 caps/0 goals
21 – Yasser Al-Mosailem (Al-Ahli) – Age 34 – 32 caps/0 goals
22 – Mohammed Al-Owais (Al-Ahli) – Age 26 – 6 caps/0 goals
Defenders
2 – Mansoor Al-Harbi (Al-Ahli) – Age 30 – 40 caps/1 goal
3 – Osama Hawsawi (Al-Hilal) – Age 34 – 135 caps/7 goals
4 – Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal) – Age 28 – 4 caps/0 goals
5 – Omar Hawsawi (Al-Nassr) – Age 32 – 42 caps/3 goals
6 – Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal) – Age 25 – 11 caps/1 goals
13 – Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal) – Age 26 – 37 caps/0 goals
23 – Motaz Hawsawi (Al-Ahli) – Age 26 – 17 caps/0 goals
Midfielders
7 – Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal) – Age 28 – 43 caps/3 goals
8 – Yahya Al-Shehri (Leganes) – Age 27 – 57 caps/8 goals
9 – Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab) – Age 25 – 5 caps/0 goals
11 – Abdulmalek Al-Khaibri (Al-Hilal) – Age 32 – 36 caps/0 goals
12 – Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal) – Age 23 – 6 caps/1 goal
14 – Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal) – Age 25 – 16 caps/1 goal
15- Abdullah Al-Khaibari (Al-Shabab) – Age 21 – 5 caps/0 goals
16 – Housain Al-Mogahwi (Al-Ahli) – Age 30 – 18 caps/1 goal
17 – Taisir Al-Jassim (Al-Ahli) – Age 33 – 132 caps/19 goals
18 – Salem Al-Dawsari (Villarreal) – Age 26 – 33 caps/4 goals
Forwards
10 – Mohammad Al-Sahlawi (Al-Nassr) – Age 31 – 40 caps/28 goals
19 – Fahad Al-Muwallad (Levante) – Age 23 – 45 caps/10 goals
20 – Muhannad Assiri (Al-Ahli) – Age 31 – 18 caps/4 goals