Saudi Arabia vs China Prediction & Betting Tips (20 March)

Saudi Arabia will have to do better than on the first leg to win positions in the standings. It is 4th after 6 days with 6 points, the same total as Indonesia, 3rd, and China, 6th and last. Green hawks have so far gleaned a single victory, in China, on the first leg 1-2. They were otherwise satisfied with 3 draws - the last in Australia 0-0 in November - to take points. On the last day, still in November, the Saudis moved to Indonesia.

They were beaten 2-0 in this meeting marking the start of the return phase.  Last in the ranking despite successes in front of Indonesia 2-1 in October and Bahrain 0-1 in November, China still has every chance of qualifying for the next World Cup. For good reason, it is only a delay in 2nd place which offers a direct qualification for the upcoming edition. The team led by Croatian Branko Ivankovic can however regret having lost its other games, the first three of the 3rd round and the latest, against Japan 1-3, on November 19.

The Frenchman Hervé Renard, coach of Saudi Arabia, must compose without the essential Al-Faraj (73 selections) in the midfield. The latter is injured. The Al-Shahrani side (82 Sél) is also outside the group for this gathering. The right side Abdulhamid (AS Rome, 41 CAPES) with the status of holder, the defender al-Tambakti (al-Hilal, 38 Sél) or Kanno (al-Hilal, 62 Sél) in the median sector are important elements of the workforce. However, the offensive sector lacks success. Through his 2 achievements, defender Kadesh is the best Saudi scorer of the 3rd round. China cannot count on its renowned striker Wu Lei (99 selections).

The one who scored 36 goals with the national team jersey is injured. No other major absence is otherwise to note. Zhang Yuning (Beijing Guoan, 38 Sél) scored during the 2 victories of China in the 3rd round. He is one of the most experienced Chinese of the rally with the titular goalkeeper Wang Dalei (Shandong Taishan, 39 capes). Of the 27 players selected, more than half have less than 10 selections.