Saudi Arabia seek victory over China in World Cup qualifiers

The coastal city of Dalian in Liaoning province is set to host the Saudi Arabia-China match next Tuesday, with nine cities submitting huge bids to host the match, but the Chinese Football Association has relied on proximity to Japan as a key factor in choosing the host city, overriding other financial considerations.

Saudi Arabia and China The Chinese team played against Japan last Thursday and lost 7-0, and the team moved to Dalian, which is two hours away by plane, where the team set up its camp.

Saudi Arabia will appear in Dalian for the first time in 26 years, hoping to achieve their first victory in this Chinese city, especially after the disappointing 1-1 draw with Indonesia in Jeddah, which caused great resentment in the Saudi sports street.

For its part, the Saudi national team played a single match in Dalian during the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, losing 1-0. The squad at the time included prominent names such as Sami Al-Jaber, Mohammed Al-Deayea, Hussein Abdulghani, and Abdullah Sulaiman, in addition to the participation of Youssef Al-Thunayan and Obaid Al-Dosari as substitute players.

Exclusion of Mutab Al-Harbi Italian Roberto Mancini, coach of the Saudi national team, excluded player Mutab Al-Harbi, the right-back, from the team’s squad that will face China next Tuesday at Dalian Stadium, in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup .

The exclusion came as a result of Al-Harbi suffering a muscle injury in his leg during the match against Indonesia last Thursday in Jeddah, which forced Mancini to replace him after 33 minutes, with Saud Abdul Hamid taking his place.

It is worth noting that Mancini focused during the team's training on Sunday at the Dalian Sports Center on the technical plans he intends to adopt against China. The Saudi team had started the qualifiers with a 1-1 draw with Indonesia, while the Chinese team suffered a heavy defeat by a score of 7-0 against Japan.