With just 80 days until the Fifa World Cup kicks off in Moscow, Saudi Arabia’s readiness to spoil Russia’s opening night party will be laid bare today when they face Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
Saudi will return to the game’s grandest stage for the first time since 2006 when they face the hosts in the tournament curtain-raiser on June 14 at Luzhniki Stadium.
With the Green Falcons the only team ranked lower than Russia at the month-long, 32-team tournament, new coach Juan Antonio Pizzi is well aware three points is likely essential if his squad is to have a chance of progressing to the knock-out stages.
Pizzi, a 49-year-old Argentine who led Chile to glory at the 2016 Copa America, was appointed by the Saudi football federation in late November after compatriot Edgardo Bauza had been dismissed following only three matches in charge.
Pizzi wisely opted to hold off taking the reins until after December’s Gulf Cup — at which a below-par Saudi were eliminated in the group stage — so has overseen only three matches so far.
The first two friendlies, a 3-0 win over Moldova in Jeddah and a 4-1 defeat to Iraq in Basra, were unofficial, experimental and largely unenlightening. Yet such patchy preparations only made Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Ukraine in Marbella all the more impressive.
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Starting on the back foot against a team ranked 35th in the world, Saudi fell behind inside the first 32 minutes, but showed belief and bravery to quickly draw level and finished the match arguably the better team.
Pizzi said the performance had convinced him his team is “improving and advancing in the direction that we want”, while Andrey Shevchenko, the Ukraine coach, said he had been impressed by Saudi’s compact set-up and ability to press across the field.
Perhaps unsurprising given relations between Ukraine and Russia, he added Saudi have a good chance of beating Russia.
The most notable aspect of the performance was not Saudi’s ability to scare a side positioned 34 places above them in Fifa’s official world rankings, but rather the courage and comfort they showed while in possession.
Insiders had suggested pre-match that Pizzi was trying to instil a tiki-taka philosophy and it was immediately apparent as green shirts swarmed the ball from kick-off, while calmly playing triangles in defence when under pressure.
Errors were inevitably made on occasion, but make no mistake, this was not a tweaking of tactics but a wholesale transformation from the, admittedly short, Edgardo Bauza era.
With the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaka all expected to feature, Belgium are certain to provide more of an attacking threat on Tuesday.
Saudi may need to slightly curb their learning curve if they are to avoid being punished. For all their second-half amelioration, they could have been three goals down inside the opening half-hour were it not for excellent last-ditch blocks from centre-back Omar Hawsawi and goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem.
Another potential issue for Pizzi is the fitness of his first-team. Salem Al Dawsari, Fahad Al Muwallad and Yahia Al Shehri were part of a nine-player contingent sent to Spain in January to gain international experience in the Primera Liga.
None of the three have managed to break into their respective new teams, Villarreal, Levante and Leganes so the Ukraine match marked their first competitive minutes of 2018.
Pizzi, while playing down the issue in public, must be concerned by their lack of action ahead of a gruelling tournament that will see them play three high-intensity games in 11 days.
For now though, Tuesday’s clash with Belgium represents a final chance for Pizzi and his staff to run the rule over his players before they are released to their domestic clubs on Wednesday morning.
The next time he meets them, in May for friendlies against Algeria and Greece, they will be just one month out from the raising of the iron curtain on the game’s most illustrious showpiece.
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
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Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
