Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan know each other well,having first met in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, where the west Asians ran out 5-0 winners. However, Uzbekistan took their revenge with a memorable 1-0 quarter-final win in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. The two teams crossed swords again in this year’s AFC Asian Cup, which saw Saudi Arabia claiming a 2-1 victory.

The favourites
Saudi Arabia: Having conquered Asia in 1984, Saudi Arabia have since established their status as continental superpowers. Since reaching the second round in USA 1994 as debutants, they have successfully qualified for every FIFA World Cup™ since then.

The outsiders
Singapore: If Singapore’s recent FIFA World Cup form is anything to go by, they could be the competition’s surprise packages. Having eliminated Palestine in the first qualifying round, coach Radojko Avramovic’s Lions went on to dispatch Tajikistan 3-1 on aggregate. In qualifying for July’s Asian Cup, they even pulled off a 2-0 sensation against Iraq in their first-leg meeting.

Lebanon: Despite a lack of competitive games in the run-up to the qualifying campaign, the west Asians still overcame India to reach the last 20. In doing so they proved they are more than capable of giving their group rivals a run for their money, a fact highlighted by their 2-2 draw against Korea Republic in a qualifying game for Germany 2006.

The players to watch
Yasser Al Qahtani (KSA), Malek Maaz (KSA),Abdulrahman Al Qahtani (KSA), Maksim Shatskikh (UZB), Aleksandr Geynrikh (UZB), Rodar Antar (LIB)

The crunch game
Saudi Arabia-Uzbekistan: This could prove a truly intriguing pairing as Saudi Arabia are one of Asia’s most technical teams while Uzbekistan are regarded as an Asian side playing in a European style. Coach Helio dos Anjos’ Saudi Arabia have gone through a successful transition with a new generation coming through the ranks. The West Asians have one of the region’s most formidable scoring talents in captain Yasser Al Qahtani and Malek Maaz, while Uzbekistan can count on the big-match experience of Dynamo Kiev hotshot Maksim Shatskikh, who played a key role in their 3-0 defeat of China in the recent Asian Cup.

A look back
Saudi Arabia2-1 Uzbekistan, 21 July 2001, Indonesia. Having being edged out by Uzbekistan by a solitary goal in the quarter-final clash in the 2004 Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia entered this match determined to prove their credentials as one of Asia’s best. Yasser Al Qahtani put the Saudis ahead after only three minutes and Ahmed Al Mousa doubled the lead on 75th minute, leaving Pavel Solomin’s goal eight minutes from time nothing more than a consolation.


The stat
5: appears to be the lucky number for the Saudis, who are hoping to reach their fifth FIFA World Cup finals. Their also thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 in the 2000 Asian Cup.

Did you know ?
Saudi Arabia qualified for Germany 2006 after beating Uzbekistan 3-0 in June 2005 in a AFC third stage group, a result that could add further spice to the two sides’ forthcoming encounter.

The question
Can Uzbekistan overcome Saudi Arabia to progress to the next stage as group winners?