Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are locked on 4 points in Group C
Can Roberto Mancini’s side win at home in the World Cup qualifiers?
Watch Saudi Arabia vs Bahrain live streaming from Jeddah
Tip: Saudi Arabia v Bahrain | Odds |
Saudi Arabia Win Full Time Result | @1.48 |
Saudi Arabia Win To Nil | @2.20 |
Saudi Arabia Win 2-0 Correct Score | @6.50 |
Saudi Arabia vs Bahrain Preview
Saudi Arabia were unlucky to lose against Japan and Bahrain have had some favourable results in Group C. I am backing a home win in the World Cup qualifiers.
Stats
Saudi Arabia have won 14 of their last 17 home matches (World Cup qualifiers).
Saudi Arabia have won to nil in 12 of their last 17 home matches (World Cup qualifiers).
Bahrain have failed to score in 3 of their last 5 matches against Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain have failed to score in 5 of their last 10 away matches (World Cup qualifiers).
Head to Head
Saudi Arabia have an 11-4 advantage against Bahrain with 5 draws in 20 matches.
They last met in the 2019 Gulf Cup final, Bahrain winning 1-0 with Mohamed Al-Romaihi scoring the winning goal.
Saudi Arabia Form
Saudi Arabia won four of their six World Cup qualifiers in the second round. They ended with a 2-1 defeat to Jordan which saw them finish second in Group G.
Roberto Mancini’s side started the third round with a 1-1 draw against Indonesia. Salem Al-Dawsari saw a late penalty saved in a game where they had 66% possession and 18-7 shots.
The Green Falcons then won 2-0 in China, 1-0 down when Mohamed Kanno was sent off in the 19th minute. Hassan Kadesh equalised in the first half and netted the winner in the 90th minute.
Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 against Japan last week, an unlucky result after ending the game with 57% possession and 13-7 shots.
Saudi Arabia Squad & Team News
Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al-Rubaie, Ahmed Al-Kassar, Raghed Al-Najjar
Defenders: Saud Abdulhamid, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Ali Lajami, Hassan Kadesh, Awn Al-Saluli, Meshal Al-Sebyani, Rayan Hamed, Hussain Al-Sibyani
Midfielders: Salem Al-Dawsari, Abdulellah Al-Malki, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Ayman Yahya, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Musab Al-Juwayr, Ali Al-Asmari, Hamed Al-Ghamdi, Marwan Al-Sahafi
Forwards: Firas Al-Buraikan, Saleh Al-Shehri, Abdullah Radif, Mohammed Maran
Mohammed Al-Owais, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Moteb Al-Harbi, Fahad Al-Muwallad, Mukhtar Ali, Mohamed Kanno, Abbas Al-Hassan, Abdullah Al-Hamdan miss out after being called up in September.
Saleh Al-Shehri has scored 15 goals in 36 internationals.
Bahrain Form
Bahrain got through the World Cup qualifying second round after winning three of their six games in Group H. They ended with a 0-0 draw in Yemen and 1-1 draw in the UAE.
Dragan Talajic’s side started the third round with a fortunate 1-0 win in Australia. They had 29% possession and three shots, playing against 10 men for the final 13 minutes and going ahead through a late own goal.
Dilmun's Warriors returned home where they were thrashed 5-0 by Japan, ending the game with 24% possession.
Bahrain drew 2-2 against Indonesia last week. Mohamed Marhoon opened the scoring and equalised in the 99th minute, a deserved point after having 24-5 shots.
Bahrain Squad & Team News
Goalkeepers: Sayed Mohammed Jaffer, Ebrahim Lutfalla, Ammar Mohamed
Defenders: Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Amine Benaddi, Sayed Baqer, Waleed Al Hayam, Hamad Al-Shamsan, Abdulla Al-Khulasi, Ahmed Nabeel, Hazza Ali, Vincent Emmanuel
Midfielders: Ali Haram, Moses Atede, Ebrahim Al-Khattal, Mohamed Marhoon, Kamil Al-Aswad, Abdulwahab Al-Malood, Ali Madan, Abbas Al-Asfoor, Sayed Sharaf
Forwards: Mahdi Al-Humaidan, Mahdi Abduljabbar, Jasim Al-Shaikh, Hashim Sayed Isa, Husain Abdulkarim, Sayed Alwadaei
Mohamed Adel, Ismail Abdullatif and Abdulla Yusuf Helal miss out after being called up in June.
Mahdi Abduljabbar has scored 9 goals in 32 internationals.