- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Saudi Arabia take on China PR in the first round of games of the group stages, and in the second fixture of Group B. Join us on The Roar from 8:00pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary of this Asian Cup fixture.
One of the dark horse teams in the competition, Saudi Arabia have lost their last three international matches, and will be hoping to regain form when they travel to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
The three-time Asian Cup winners last lifted the trophy in 1996. Manager Cosmin Olăroiu will be hoping his side can emulate the Saudis’ success of the nineties, which saw them not only lift the Asian Cup, but shock the world when they defeated Belgium and Morocco to make it to the Round of 16 of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where they eventually fell to Sweden.
Eyes will be on the Saudi key man Nasser Al-Shamrani, who is already well-known to Australian fans after his antics post-match against the Western Sydney Wanderers, which saw him receive a six-match ban for spitting, followed by a two-match ban for a head-butt. His ban does not apply to international football, so the Saudi will be free to play.
China PR are riding a five-match unbeaten run, coming off a dominant 4-1 win over Oman just seven days prior to this clash. Overall China will want to go one better than they did in the 2004 Asian Cup, where they reached the final only to suffer a 3-1 loss to rivals Japan.
Unbeaten by the Saudis in their past three games, Alain Perrin’s men will be looking to continue on their impressive recent defensive displays, which has seen them concede just one goal in their past five internationals.
The last time these two teams played, both sides failed to find the net and the match ended as a scoreless draw. With both teams struggling in the attacking department, a similar result would not surprise.
Prediction
Saudi Arabia 1 – 0 China PR
Can Saudi Arabia finally find that win they have been looking for, or will China PR start off their Asian Cup campaign on a high and go six games unbeaten? Join The Roar from 8pm AEDT to find out.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.