Georgios Donis is ready to shake up his Saudi Arabia side for tonight's eagerly awaited clash with Oman. The Greek coach wants fresh legs for the second round of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", hoping to freshen up his team and keep the winning run going.
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Saudi Arabia opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Kuwait. Oman, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Iraq, and that makes tonight's meeting crucial in the group's calculations. Expect six changes to the Saudi line-up from the previous match.
Al-Owais, Tambakti and Hawsawi lead the defensive changes
Mohammed Al-Owais should start in goal in place of Nawaf Al-Aqidi, who picked up an injury during the Kuwait clash. Hassan Tambakti looks set to slot into the heart of the defence at the expense of Abdulelah Al-Amri, while Zakaria Hawsawi comes in at left-back in place of Mutaib Al-Harbi.
In midfield, Donis is weighing up Abdullah Al-Khaibari in the holding role alongside Nasser Al-Dawsari and Mohammed Kanno. Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat looks likely to drop out of the starting line-up, a switch that could hand Saudi Arabia more balance in the middle of the park.
Mendash and Al-Buraikan to boost the attacking strength
Up front, Sultan Mendash is close to starting on the right wing in place of Saleh Abu Al-Shamat. Firas Al-Buraikan should lead the Saudi attack in place of Abdullah Al-Hamdan, part of the coaching staff's bid to revive the attacking edge against Oman.
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All told, the Saudi Arabia line-up could feature six changes: Mohammed Al-Owais, Hassan Tambakti, Zakaria Hawsawi, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Sultan Mendash and Firas Al-Buraikan. Donis is chasing a second straight win to strengthen Saudi Arabia's position in the Gulf 27 campaign.