Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia will aim to preserve their perfect record when they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign against Indonesia at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Thursday.

The Green Falcons have dominated their encounters with the Southeast Asian side, winning 10 times and drawing once, as head coach Roberto Mancini looks to guide Saudi Arabia to their seventh FIFA World Cup appearance.

Mancini’s team secured advancement to this stage with a game to spare, despite a loss to Jordan in their final group game of the second round. The Italian coach is confident of securing one of the two automatic World Cup berths available in the group.

The squad for the match against Indonesia includes new AS Roma full-back Saud Abdulhamid and reigning AFC Player of the Year Salem Al Dawsari, highlighting a strong 31-man roster.

Indonesia, coached by Shin Tae-yong, will field a familiar squad featuring newcomer goalkeeper Maarten Paes, Oxford United’s Marselino Ferdinan, and Jay Idzes from Serie A’s Venezia.

Shin led Indonesia to a second-place finish in Group F of the second round, trailing Iraq but finishing ahead of Vietnam. Acknowledging the challenge ahead, Shin stated, “Our goal is to achieve good results, and we will give our best effort. The ball is round, and anything can happen, but we are committed to achieving as much as possible.”