World Cup 2018 factbox: Saudi Arabia
Facts on Saudi Arabia, who play in World Cup Group A:
Country: Saudi Arabia
Honours: Asian Cup winners 1984, 1988, 1996; Confederations Cup runners-up 1992
Past World Cup performance: Fifth participation.
Best result: Round of 16 (1994)
FIFA ranking: 67th
Main clubs: Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nasr
Nickname: The Green Falcons
How they qualified: Finished second in Asian qualifying Group B behind Japan
Friendly matches scheduled: May 28 v Italy (St Gallen, Switzerland), June 3 v Peru, June 8 v Germany (Leverkusen, Germany)
Provisional 28-man World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Mohammed al-Owais (Al-Ahli), Abdullah al-Mayouf (Al-Hilal), Yasser al-Mosaileem (Al-Ahli), Assaf al-Qarni (Al-Ittihad)
Defenders: Osama Hawsawi (Al-Hilal), Omar Hawsawi (Al-Nassr), Motaz Hawsawi (Al-Ahli), Ali al-Bulayhi (Al-Hilal), Mohammed Jahfali (Al-Hilal), Yasser al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Mansour al-Harbi (Al-Ahli), Mohammed al-Burayk (Al-Hilal), Saeed al-Muwallad (Al-Ahli)
Midfielders: Abdulla Otayf (Al-Hilal), Salman al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Abdulmalik al-Khaibari (Al-Hilal), Abdullah al-Khaibari (Al-Shabab), Mohammed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Hussein al-Moqahwi (Al-Ahli), Taisir al-Jassim (Al-Ahli), Hattan Bahebri (Al Shabab), Salem al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Yahya al-Shehri (Al-Nassr), Nawaf al-Abid (Al-Hilal), Fahad al-Muwallad (Al-Ittihad), Mohammed al-Kuwaikbi (Al-Ettifaq)
Forwards: Mohammed al-Sahlawi (Al-Nassr), Mohannad Assiri (Al-Ahli)
Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi
Pizzi, 49, was born in Argentina but represented Spain at international level in a playing career that featured a successful spell at Barcelona in the 1990s.
In an already well-travelled coaching career, he has taken charge of San Lorenzo, leading the Buenos Aires side to the Argentine title in 2013, and Valencia in Spain. His last job was in charge of Chile and he took them to the final of the Confederations Cup in Russia last year, but he left after their failure to make the World Cup and went on replace compatriot Edgardo Bauza in charge of the Saudis last November. – AFP
Story first published: 28th May 2018
Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/sports/2018/05/world-cup-2018-factbox-saudi-arabia/