Saudi Arabia vs Vietnam

Vietnam head to MRSOOL Park to tackle a rampant Saudi Arabia side as the 2022 World Cup qualifying Group B gets underway this midweek.

Saudi Arabia breezed past Uzbekistan 3-0 on the final matchday of Round 2 to cement a top place in Group D and maintain an unbeaten record in the ongoing qualifying campaign (W6, D2). Since being held to a scoreless draw away to Palestine on Matchday 3, the ‘Green Falcons’ have hit the ground running, winning each of their subsequent five qualifying matches by an aggregate score of 17-2. Moreover, each of their last four victories in that sequence came by over 2.5 goals ‘to nil,’ with Saudi Arabia netting 2+ first-half goals in three. Herve Renard’s men have turned into a force to be reckoned with on home soil in 2021, winning all four home fixtures by an aggregate score of 12-0 this calendar year.

Meanwhile, a 3-2 away defeat to UAE on the final matchday of Round 2 saw Vietnam surrender the Group G top spot to their opposition despite going unbeaten in all seven previous qualifying games (W5, D2). Vietnam’s qualifying fixtures in Round 2 were notably tight as six of their eight Group G outings saw the sides separated at full-time by under 1.5 goals. The ‘Golden Star Warriors’ can find some comfort in improving their scoring instincts lately, going from four consecutive away internationals in which they scored under 1.5 goals to netting 2+ goals in three of their last four matches on foreign soil. However, after losing both previous World Cup qualifying H2Hs by 4+ goals ‘to nil,’ the visitors are understandably underdogs heading into this encounter.