Japan vs Saudi Arabia

Japan and Saudi Arabia come face-to-face in a high-stake, top-table Asian World Cup qualifying at the Saitama Stadium.

A comfortable 2-0 home victory over China last time out extended Japan’s winning run in the third stage of World Cup qualifying to four matches, but they are not off the hook yet. With third-placed Australia breathing down their necks, the ‘Samuari Blue’ have to defy their two-game losing H2H run in World Cup qualifying if they are to maintain a slender one-point lead over the dreaded inter-confederation play-off spot. Luckily for head coach Hajime Moriyasu, his men are back on home turf, where they’ve won back-to-back World Cup qualifiers by an aggregate score of 4-1 following a lacklustre 1-0 defeat at the hands of Oman on Matchday 1. With both of those triumphs witnessing the deadlock broken within 13 minutes, the Saitama crowd may not have to wait long to see an opener.

As for Saudi Arabia, a hard-fought 1-0 home win over a spirited Oman side last time out helped them maintain their unbeaten start to the third stage of qualifying (W6, D1). Thanks to their eye-catching exploits, the ‘Arabian Falcons’ are on the cusp of advancing to the World Cup finals for the second edition running, with third-placed Australia lagging five points behind. But with three games left, there is no room for complacency in the Saudi Arabia camp. Herve Renard’s men have kept their away World Cup qualifiers highly competitive so far in the third stage, with each of their three such fixtures featuring under 1.5 total goals (W2, D1). Interestingly, both of their World Cup qualifying victories on hostile soil have seen them keep hold of a narrow 1-0 HT lead.