The Vietnamese team has lost all 5 matches in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, finishing at the bottom of Group B. The Saudi Arabian team leads the group with 13 points. In the first leg, Herve Renard's team came back to win 3-1 at home. In all aspects, the Saudi Arabia team is rated higher.
" Any complacency of the Saudi Arabia team could cost them high. The Vietnamese team is now on a wall. The 'Golden Star Warriors' are unlikely to qualify for next year's World Cup, but they still have an important say in deciding which team will go to Qatar or not," John Duerden shared with Arab News on November 15.
In the previous match, Green Falcons (S Saudi Arabia's nickname) had a 0-0 draw in Australia. This result helped the West Asian team maintain the top spot. If they win against Vietnam, Saudi Arabia will have 16 points and they will open up a great opportunity to participate in the World Cup for the 6th time.
In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the Saudi Arabia team qualified for the World Cup with 19 points/10 matches.
Currently, the form of Salman Al-Faraj and his teammates is even higher than before.
"It would be a pity for the Saudi Arabia team if they lost points on their home way home from a 0-0 draw in Sydney. This is the team's last match in 2021, after which the teams will have a few months of break before the qualifying campaign continues in January 2022. It would be great if Saudi Arabia took the lead before the new year," the Saudi Arabian newspaper continued.
In the rematch of the Vietnam team, the West Asian team will not have the services of some key players due to injuries. However, the replacements played very well in the draw with Australia.
"We played very well against Australia and while we could not get 3 points as expected, it was still a positive result for the Saudi Arabia team. We know Vietnam is a strong opponent, so the whole team will play with focus to get the desired result," coach Herve Renard shared.
According to John Duerden, the Vietnam team will have changes compared to the first leg, both in terms of personnel and tactics.
"Coach Park Hang-seo has just extended his contract, but at this time, even the 3rd place to play the play-off in the group has no chance for the Vietnamese team. They will play for pride and that could endanger their opponents," the Arab News stressed.
