Indonesia, still seeking their first win in the third round of AFC qualifying, will face Saudi Arabia, who are looking to end a three-game winless streak, on Tuesday in Group C.
The hosts are bottom of the group after five matches with just three points, while the visitors are third in the group, joint on six points with Australia and China.
Match preview
© Imago
Indonesia came into the third round of AFC qualifying aiming to secure just their second-ever qualification to a FIFA World Cup, having only previously appeared in the tournament in 1938, when they were still known as the Dutch East Indies.
They have seen an influx of players declaring for the national team in recent months, many with Dutch origins, including Kevin Diks, Eliano Reijnders, and Mees Hilgers, boosting their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
However, Indonesia have still faced difficulty in their opening five Group C fixtures, losing two and drawing three, leaving them bottom of the table and three points behind fourth-placed China.
Shin Tae-yong initially drew their first three Group C games, 1-1 with Saudi Arabia, 0-0 with Australia and 2-2 with Bahrain, but they have since fallen to back-to-back defeats, 2-1 to China and 4-0 to Japan.
Now seeking their first win to bolster their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Indonesia will aim to overcome Saudi Arabia, a team they have failed to defeat in their last four encounters, with two losses and two draws.
Saudi Arabia came into this round of qualifying looking to secure their place at the World Cup for the seventh time, having previously featured in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022.
They made a strong start in the group, drawing 1-1 with Indonesia and defeating China 2-1, but they have since lost one and drawn two of their next three matches.
The Arabian Falcons have failed to score in all three matches since last securing a victory, a run that has led to the dismissal of former manager Roberto Mancini and the return of Herve Renard as the new boss.
Renard, who has recorded the most wins for Saudi Arabia of any foreign manager, led the team to a 0-0 draw against Australia last time out, and he will now be aiming to return the side to winning ways against struggling Indonesia on Tuesday.
Team News
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Diks made his debut for Indonesia in their 4-0 loss to Japan but was taken off before half-time due to an injury, meaning Sandy Walsh may come into the side in his place here.
Jordi Amat, the captain of the team, started from the bench and was brought on in the 76th minute of that game, but the defender could play from the beginning in this one.
Salem Al Dawsari missed Saudi Arabia's 0-0 draw with Australia due to injury and the captain is set to remain unavailable for this match, with Firas Al-Buraikan, Saleh Al-Shehri and Marwan Alsahafi likely to start in attack.
Faisal Al-Ghamdi was taken off with an injury in the 88th minute of that draw, and the midfielder could be replaced by Sultan Al-Ghannam in this one.
Indonesia possible starting lineup:
Paes; Walsh, Ridho, Idzes, Amat, Verdonk; Sayuri, Haye, Ferdinan, Struick; Oratmangoen
Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup:
Al-Kassar; Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Albulayhi, Al-Shahrani; Alsahafi, Juwayr, Al-Ghannam, Al-Dawsari, Al-Buraikan; Al-Shehri
We say: Indonesia 0-1 Saudi Arabia
Despite the visitors struggling in recent matches, including failing to score in their last three, the hosts are yet to win a game in Group C, leading us to believe Saudi Arabia will win this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
Iran
Kyrgyzstan
North Korea
Qatar
UAE
Uzbekistan
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Oman
Palestine
South Korea
Australia
Bahrain
China
Indonesia
Japan
Saudi Arabia
