Saudis relish Central Asian challenge
Representatives of Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan could be forgiven
for letting out a small sigh of relief after landing a group which
features Singapore and Lebanon. While the favourites will hope to
vie for the group's top spot, the outsiders will be hoping to pull
off a surprise and qualify for the next stage as the group's second
best.
Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan know each other well,having first met
in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, where the west Asians ran out 5-0
winners. However, Uzbekistan took their revenge with a memorable
1-0 quarter-final win in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. The two teams
crossed swords again in this year's AFC Asian Cup, which saw Saudi
Arabia claiming a 2-1 victory.
The favourites
Saudi Arabia:
Having conquered Asia in 1984, Saudi Arabia have since established
their status as continental superpowers. Since reaching the second
round in USA 1994 as debutants, they have successfully qualified
for every FIFA World Cup since then.
The outsiders
Singapore:
If Singapore's recent FIFA World Cup form is anything to go by,
they could be the competition's surprise packages. Having
eliminated Palestine in the first qualifying round, coach Radojko
Avramovic's Lions went on to dispatch Tajikistan 3-1 on aggregate.
In qualifying for July's Asian Cup, they even pulled off a 2-0
sensation against Iraq in their first-leg meeting.
Lebanon:
Despite a lack of competitive games in the run-up to the qualifying
campaign, the west Asians still overcame India to reach the last
20. In doing so they proved they are more than capable of giving
their group rivals a run for their money, a fact highlighted by
their 2-2 draw against Korea Republic in a qualifying game for
Germany 2006.
The players to watch
Yasser Al Qahtani (KSA), Malek Maaz (KSA),Abdulrahman Al Qahtani
(KSA), Maksim Shatskikh (UZB), Aleksandr Geynrikh (UZB), Rodar
Antar (LIB)
The crunch game
Saudi Arabia-Uzbekistan:
This could prove a truly intriguing pairing as Saudi Arabia are one
of Asia's most technical teams while Uzbekistan are regarded as an
Asian side playing in a European style. Coach Helio dos Anjos'
Saudi Arabia have gone through a successful transition with a new
generation coming through the ranks. The West Asians have one of
the region's most formidable scoring talents in captain Yasser Al
Qahtani and Malek Maaz, while Uzbekistan can count on the big-match
experience of Dynamo Kiev hotshot Maksim Shatskikh, who played a
key role in their 3-0 defeat of China in the recent Asian
Cup.
A look back
Saudi Arabia2-1 Uzbekistan, 21 July 2001, Indonesia.
Having being edged out by Uzbekistan by a solitary goal in the
quarter-final clash in the 2004 Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia entered
this match determined to prove their credentials as one of Asia's
best. Yasser Al Qahtani put the Saudis ahead after only three
minutes and Ahmed Al Mousa doubled the lead on 75th minute, leaving
Pavel Solomin's goal eight minutes from time nothing more than a
consolation.
The stat
5: appears to be the lucky number for the Saudis, who are hoping to
reach their fifth FIFA World Cup finals. Their also thrashed
Uzbekistan 5-0 in the 2000 Asian Cup.
Did you know ?
Saudi Arabia qualified for Germany 2006 after beating Uzbekistan
3-0 in June 2005 in a AFC third stage group, a result that could
add further spice to the two sides' forthcoming encounter.
The question
Can Uzbekistan overcome Saudi Arabia to progress to the next stage
as group winners? Click below on 'Add your comment.'
http://fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/standings/group=250649/analysis.html
