AFC World Cup qualifying sees Group B’s top team Saudi Arabia visit second-place Japan on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia are first in Group B on 19 points, which is four more than second-place Japan.
The Japanese could pull closer to Saudi Arabia with a win and solidify their place in the automatic World Cup qualification places.
Saudi Arabia National Team squad - AFC Asian Qualifiers【Road to Qatar】(2/1＠Saitama) #football https://t.co/An6TpXnrBq— jfa_en (@jfa_en) January 31, 2022
Saudi Arabia National Team squad - AFC Asian Qualifiers【Road to Qatar】(2/1＠Saitama) #football https://t.co/An6TpXnrBq
Japan are one points ahead of third-place Australia in the race for automatic World Cup qualification. The Aussies are breathing down Japan’s neck heading into Tuesday’s game.
Saudi Arabia are fresh off of a 1-0 win over Oman in World Cup qualification. The win ended a three-game winless streak for Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia claimed a World Cup qualifying win against Japan in October 1-0.
Firas Al-Buraikan scored a 71st-mintue winner to give Saudi Arabia all three points in World Cup qualifying. Manager Herve Renard’s team is ranked No. 51 in the world ahead of this week’s clash. Japan are ranked No. 26 in the world ahead of the game.
Manager Hajime Moriyasu led the team to four straight wins in all competitions. Since losing to Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifying, Japan have not placed a foot wrong, winning all four games.
Japan claimed a 2-0 win over China on January 27 thanks to goals from Yuya Osako and Junya Ito. The Blue Samurai have won three straight World Cup matches to nil.
Saudi Arabia’s win over Oman came after losses to Jordan and Morocco, along with a draw with Palestine. Those three games were played in the Arab Cup in December.
Japan have a strong head-to-head record against Saudi Arabia dating back to 1982. The Blue Samurai have posted a head-to-head record of 10W-1D-6L. Two of the last five games between these AFC rivals ended in wins for Saudi Arabia.
Osako will likely lead the line against Saudi Arabia while Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino will be one of Japan’s significant attacking creators. Mallorca’s Takefusa Kubo will also be a major player in Japan’s attack. Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is ruled out with an injury.
All of Saudi Arabia’s team is made up of domestic players. Midfielder Fahad Al-Muwallad is the team’s current most capped player with 68 appearances for the national team. He has 17 career international goals.
Goalkeeper Zaid Al-Bawardi has left the squad following an injury. Midfielders Salman Al-Faraj and Abdulrahman Ghareeb are both ruled out with injuries.
Japan are aiming to avenge their previous loss to Saudi Arabia. Can they do it this week on home soil?