Saudi Arabia will come face-to-face with Bahrain in the third round of AFC qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, both aiming to climb the Group C table.
The two sides are tied on four points, along with second-placed Australia, with the hosts sitting in third and the visitors in fourth due to their differing goal differences.
Match preview
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Having qualified for each of the past two FIFA World Cups, in 2018 and 2022, Saudi Arabia will be aiming to make it three consecutive appearances at the world's most prestigious tournament in 2026.
They surprisingly finished second behind Jordan, albeit on goal difference, in their second-round group, and have struggled in their opening three matches in the third round.
Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with Indonesia to kickstart their third-round campaign, followed by a narrow 2-1 victory against China courtesy of a 90th-minute winner from Hassan Kadesh, who scored both in that game.
Roberto Mancini, in charge since August 2023, saw Saudi Arabia's unbeaten start to the group end with a 2-0 loss to Japan last week, though the Italian will take encouragement from a promising performance in which his side controlled large portions of the game.
With his side currently locked on points with Australia and Bahrain, Mancini will be hopeful of a commanding victory as he aims to steer his side to a top-two finish in the group, earning automatic qualification to the upcoming World Cup.
While not the most glamorous country in terms of footballing achievements, Bahrain have proved themselves as a formidable force in the opening three games of the third round.
They secured a 1-0 win against Australia in the opening match before suffering a humiliating 5-0 loss to Japan, but Bahrain were able to quickly bounce back with a 2-2 draw against Indonesia.
Dragan Talajic, who has spent large parts of his career managing in Saudi Arabia, will be aiming for another huge victory for his side when they face the Arabian Falcons on Tuesday, a fixture Bahrain won 1-0 in their last meeting.
Team News
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The hosts may be without Abdulelah Al-Malki after the midfielder was taken off in the 82nd minute of their 2-0 defeat to Japan last time out, meaning Abdullah Alkhaibari could start in his place.
Despite failing to hit the net in that loss, both captain Salem Al-Dawsari and Firas Al-Buraikan are likely to start in attack, with Stefan Al-Shehri potentially replacing Ayman Ahmed on the wing.
As for the visitors, Ali Madan was forced off in the 64th minute due to an injury, meaning Mahdi Al-Humaidan could come into the side in his place.
Elsewhere, a dominant performance in an, albeit disappointing, draw last time out could mean Talajic keeps faith in the same starting 11 here, with goalscorer Mohamed Jasim Marhoon certainly starting in the wide areas.
Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup:
Al-Kassar; Abdulhamid, Al Tambakti, Lajami, Kadesh; Aljuwayr, Alkhaibari, N. Al-Dawsari; Al-Shehri, Al-Buraikan, S. Al-Dawsari
Bahrain possible starting lineup:
Lutfalla; Emmanuel, Benaddi, Al-Hayam, Al-Khalasi; Al-Humaidan, Haram, Al-Asfoor, Marhoon; Abduljabbar, Al-Aswad
We say: Saudi Arabia 3-1 Bahrain
While Bahrain have picked up two positive results in their three outings, including a phenomenal 1-0 win against Australia, we believe Saudi Arabia boast more talent throughout their squad, suggesting a win for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
Iran
Kyrgyzstan
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Iraq
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