Played
February 29, 2012 3:00 PM IST
AAMI Park — Melbourne
Referee:‬ Dong-Jin Kim‎
Attendance:‬ 24240‎
 

Australia - Saudi Arabia Preview: Pressure heaped on Frank Rijkaard's Green Falcons

It is desperate times for the Dutchman and his side, who need to get a result from a tough trip to Melbourne in order to reach the next round of qualifying

By Paddy Higgs

More On :  Australia, Saudi Arabia, Australia vs Saudi Arabia
Socceroos
Getty Images

 PROBABLE LINEUPS
AUSTRALIA

Australia
Schwarzer
Marrone, Neill, Spiranovic, Carney
Emerton, Bresciano, Milligan, Troisi
Kewell, Brosque
SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia
Abdullah
Moad, Hawsawi, Eid, Al Mousa
Al Jassim, Kariri, Al S'houb, Ateef, Al Fraidi
Al Qahtani

With Australia already through to the fourth round of AFC World Cup 2014 qualifying, it is Saudi Arabia who go into the match at Melbourne's AAMI Park the far more desperate side. Green Falcons coach Frank Rijkaard dreams of taking his team to Brazil, but they have a tenuous hold on second in Group D ahead of the final matchday. Oman lurk just one point behind Rijkaard's men and will host bottom-nation Thailand, meaning Saudi Arabia must take their fate into their own hands to guarantee progression.

Not helping Saudi Arabia's chances is the absence of key playmaker Mohammed Noor through injury, though they still boast attacking threats through experienced duo Yasser Al-Qahtani (of United Arab Emirates club Al Ain) and Mohammad Al-Shalhoub (of Al Hilal in his homeland). They also have the level-headed Osama Hawsawi - widely rated as the best defender in the region - marshalling his nation from the back.

The pressure may not be as great for the Socceroos, but coach Holger Osieck has nonetheless demanded a polished performance and stated that places in his squad may be at stake. Mark Bresciano's inclusion after a 20-month absence from his national team leads the names summoned by Osieck, and he will start on Wednesday. A-League-based trio Michael Marrone (Melbourne Heart), Mat Ryan (Central Coast Mariners) and Erik Paartalu (Brisbane Roar) are a chance to earn their first Socceroos caps.


 DID YOU KNOW?
  • Since losing the Asian Cup final to Japan in extra-time in January 2011, Australia has been defeated just once in 10 matches, winning eight of them.
  • Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, have won just two of their last seven matches, though they did thump New Zealand's Under-23 side 6-0 in a friendly on Friday.
  • The two nations have met just five times in history, with Australia edging the win-loss count 3-2.  The Socceroos triumphed when they last met in September 2011, winning the group qualifier 3-1 in Dammam.
  • Once a powerhouse of the region, Saudi Arabia have slipped to 89th in the Fifa rankings.  They were once as high as 21 - in July 2004 - but did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup and bowed out of the 2011 Asian Cup in the group stage.  Australia, meanwhile, are at 22nd and the top-ranked side in the AFC.

  • In Saudi Arabia's favour is Thailand's solid record over Oman in Group D's other qualifier on Wednesday. In five matches, Oman have won two while Thailand have won five. A draw in Oman would most likely suit Saudi Arabia best.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Australia 1-2 Saudi Arabia
    17.05 %
  • Australia 2-0 Saudi Arabia
    11.36 %
  • Australia 0-1 Saudi Arabia
    10.23 %
Head to Head
World Cup Qualification - Asia ‎(WCQA)‎ 29-Feb-2012 Australia 4 - Saudi Arabia 2
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
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World Cup Qualification - Asia ‎(WCQA)‎ 06-Sep-2011 Saudi Arabia 1 - Australia 3
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Last Five Matches
Australia
02-Jun-2012Denmark 2 - Australia 0FR
29-Feb-2012Australia 4 - Saudi Arabia 2WCQA
15-Nov-2011Thailand 0 - Australia 1WCQA
11-Nov-2011Oman 1 - Australia 0WCQA
11-Oct-2011Australia 3 - Oman 0WCQA
Saudi Arabia
29-Feb-2012Australia 4 - Saudi Arabia 2WCQA
15-Nov-2011Saudi Arabia 0 - Oman 0WCQA
11-Nov-2011Saudi Arabia 3 - Thailand 0WCQA
11-Oct-2011Thailand 0 - Saudi Arabia 0WCQA
07-Oct-2011Saudi Arabia 0 - Indonesia 0FR
Team News
Available Squads
-Mark SchwarzerGoalkeeper
-Lucas NeillDefender
-Sasa OgnenovskiDefender
-Matthew SpiranovicDefender
-Jade NorthDefender
-Mark MilliganDefender
-Brett EmertonMidfielder
-Harry KewellStriker
23Mark BrescianoMidfielder
-James TroisiDefender
-Alex BrosqueDefender
-Matthew RyanGoalkeeper
-David CarneyDefender
-Michael MarroneDefender
-Michael ThwaiteDefender
-Adam SarotaMidfielder
-Nicholas Alberto CarleMidfielder
-Erik PaartaluMidfielder
-Archie ThompsonStriker
-Waleed AbdullahGoalkeeper
-Osama HawsawiDefender
-Kamel Al-MousaDefender
-Salem Al DawsariDefender
-Abdullah Al ZoriDefender
-Hassan Muath FallatahDefender
-Mohammad Al-ShalhoubMidfielder
-Saud KhaririMidfielder
-Ahmed Al FraidiMidfielder
-Tayseer Al-JasemMidfielder
-Abdulaziz Al DawsariDefender
-Mohamed ShaarawiStriker
-Nasser Al-ShamraniStriker
-Yasser Al-MusailimGoalkeeper
-Ahmed Al KassarGoalkeeper
-Hassan Al-OtaibiGoalkeeper
-Mohamed Al-Bishi
-Yahia Al ShahryMidfielder
-Ibrahim GhalebMidfielder
-Nayef HazaziStriker
-Mohamed EidDefender
-yousef al salemStriker
-Yasser Al-QahtaniStriker
-Moatiz Al-MousaMidfielder
Results
Matchday 6
Times In IST
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Shinji Okazaki Shinji Okazaki
Striker
Japan 		6 0
Chu-Young Park Chu-Young Park
Striker
South Korea 		6 0
Younis Mahmoud Khalaf Younis Mahmoud Khalaf
Striker
Iraq 		6 0
Khalfan Al-Khalfan Khalfan Al-Khalfan
Striker
Qatar 		4 2
Nashat Akram Nashat Akram
Midfielder
Iraq 		4 1