All about the Saudi Arabia Team at Football World Cup 2018
The Saudi Arabia national team is perhaps one of the least known teams around the world and is certainly not the kind of team that the likes of Germany, England, France, Spain and Brazil will be worried about facing at the Russia 2018 World Cup. For those who don't know and there are probably a lot of people out there, the team plays in green and white and are known as Al Suqour (The Falcons) or Al Akhdar (The Green). Despite their lack of presence in the world of football, nevertheless, they will feature at this years 2018 World Cup in Russia. Qualification in itself is quite an achievement for the club and they can think of themselves very proud to reach the competition.
Tips for Betting on Saudi Arabia in the World Cup 2018
When figuring out how to bet on any football team, let alone Saudi Arabia, the opposition which they are playing is definitely a key factor. Whilst Saudi Arabia are one of the best teams in Asia, winning the Asian championship three times, it is fair to say that at the World Cup they will go into each and every match in their group stages as the underdogs by a considerable way.
When a team is so heavily tipped and thought to lose an upcoming match, this does have the advantage of providing some good odds and as stated, the team will have nothing to lose. Their group will consist of Uruguay, who are the definite favourites to win the group, followed by Russia, who will most likely qualify and then Egypt, who they have the best chance of getting a result against. In light of all this information, the team will no doubt line up very defensively and could look to nick a late goal on the counter-attack, which will be their best chance of winning.
For betting tips, Saudi Arabia are most likely to score goals towards the later stages of the match, which is backed up both statistically, as they scored 36% of their goals in qualifying for the World Cup at the later stages and also because of what their style of play is likely to be against teams who are much better at football than them.
Betting Odds on Saudi Arabia to Win the World Cup 2018
It’s fair to say that Saudi Arabia are not likely to ever win the World Cup and quite frankly, it would be a tremendous achievement to make it out of the group stage. As stated, the fact that Saudi Arabia have achieved qualification for Russia 2018, is a very good achievement and one which the fans should be immensely proud of. The team haven’t featured at a World Cup since 2006 in Germany and in total, they have only featured five times all together at previous tournaments.
It is for this reason then, that Saudi Arabia are currently around 2000/1 (2001.00) to win and it is highly unlikely to happen at this highly competitive tournament. They are the joint worst favourites to win, with Panama also coming out at similar odds to win the competition. Having said that, the team can take great pride in making it this far and can go into each and every match without the pressure that will undoubtedly get to some of the bigger teams who are expected to do well.
Expected Saudi Arabia Lineup at the World Cup
Going off the latest 2017 lineups, this is how Saudi Arabia will most likely be looking to have in their starting 11 in the 2018 Russia World Cup. Starting from the back, their goalkeeper is most likely to be the 31-year-old, experienced presence of Waleed Abdullah, who will be no doubt challenged at every twist and turn in each game they play.
At right fullback, the player most likely to feature will be Al Muwallad, who is 26 and plays in the Saudi Arabia domestic league. Mohammed Abdu Khubrani will feature at centre-back, who plays for Al Quadisiya, again in the Saudi Arabia domestic leagues. Alongside him, his partner will be Al Fatil, who also plays his football in Saudi Arabia, for one of the best teams in the league, Al Ahli. At the other side, the left fullback will be Mansoor Al-Habi, who was sent off in their last game against Bulgaria, he too plays for Al Ahli, so there may be something to be said about the chemistry of their back four, as they all play in the same league.
In midfield, Al-Mousa and Al-Sulaiheem will look to play just in front of the defence and provide that all important bit of protection, the two also play in the Saudi Arabian league. In the number 10 role, spearheading their midfield will be experienced 33-year-old Taisir Jabir, who will look to be their main source of creativity, he too plays for Al Ahli. On the wings, it is most likely to be Al-Zaqan on the right, whilst up the left flan, it is most likely to be Muwashar. Mukhtarr Fallata will be most likely to lead the line for Saudi Arabia on his own and the most likely to provide the team with goals.
The team will look to try and play and have done for many years whilst under Jurcic, their Croatian manager, in a 4-2-3-1 style. The wingers will be very important in this, as both the full backs will be preoccupied with defensive duties. The two holding midfielders will also be key as they look to try and win the ball and keep some possession by overcrowding the opposition in the centre of the part. This is a fairly defensive set up and defensive play is what they are likely to employ throughout the 2018 Russia World Cup.
-
Mukhtar Fallata
The lone striker, Mukhtar Fallata will be a key player, as he will have his work cut out and be isolated at the top. He plays for Al Wehda and has plenty of pace which could be a threat for teams and a lot of energy, which he will need when playing up front on his own.
-
Osama Hawsawi
At the other end of the pitch, where they will spend most of their time, the experience of Hawsawi will be key to their success as he will look to command the back four. He is one of the best players in the Saudi Arabian league, playing for Al Ahli, who also happens to be one of the best teams in the league, so it will be difficult to adjust to playing against teams of a much higher calibre, however, he will be instrumental in organising and ensuring the team defend well.
BEST WORLD CUP BOOKMAKERS
