In a first-place showdown on Thursday, Saudi Arabia and Thailand will face each other at the Asian Cup for the first time since 1996, with their matchday three fixture taking place at Education City Stadium.

The Saudis booked a place in the last 16 for a second successive occasion thanks to a 2-0 triumph over Kyrgyzstan, putting them two points above Thailand for first after the War Elephants could only manage a 0-0 draw with Oman.

Match preview

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With the first step of their Asian Cup quest complete, Roberto Mancini's men head into this final group fixture needing just a single point to win their group for the first time since 2007.

That was the last time they finished the group stage of this tournament without a defeat, and with a victory on Thursday, they will have a 100% record heading into the knockout stage for the first time ever.

The Saudis are unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions, including a victory in each of their last three games.

Over that stretch, the Green Falcons have been extremely solid defensively, conceding just one goal in their last seven competitive fixtures.

Saudi Arabia have lost their final group fixture in each of their previous three Asian Cup tournaments, with their last matchday three victory occurring in 2007 (4-0 over Bahrain).

The Green Falcons are unbeaten in their last 13 matches versus Thailand, failing to concede in four successive meetings against them.

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Chances were few and far between for Thailand on matchday two, but they found a way to avoid defeat once again, putting them in a solid position to qualify for the knockout stage for a second straight time.

Masatada Ishii saw his side put forth another impressive defensive outing over the weekend, allowing just a single effort on target despite having only 30% of the possession.

Ishii had seen his side concede a combined 17 goals in their five competitive matches played before the start of this competition, but they have posted consecutive clean sheets in the group phase of this tournament for the first time ever.

With a victory on matchday three, they would win their Asian Cup group for the first time while also earning the most points ever for a Thai squad in the portion of the tournament.

While finishing first would be quite the achievement, they are sitting pretty to claim an automatic berth in the last 16, three points above Oman for second with a +2-goal differential, while their nearest challengers are at -1.

It has been nearly 40 years since their last triumph versus the Green Falcons in October 1984 (3-1), while they have been outscored 10-0 in their previous two meetings against the Saudis in the Asian Cup group stage.

Team News

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Mancini made three changes to the Saudi Arabian lineup on matchday two, with Abdulellah Al-Malki, Mohammed Al-Breik and Firas Al-Buraikan coming in to replace Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Nasser Al-Dawsari and Saleh Al-Shehri.

Salem Al-Dawsari reached 80 caps for the national team this past weekend, while Mohamed Kanno and Ali Al-Bulaihi are each just one appearance away from 50.

Kanno netted for the third time internationally on Sunday, with the other strike coming courtesy of Faisal Al-Ghamdi, his first for the senior side, while Ahmed Al-Kassar did not have to make a single stop to pick up his second clean sheet of the tournament.

Thailand had the same starting 11 from matchday one to two, with Suphanan Bureerat being the only newcomer to be introduced, as he came on for Weerathep Pomphan in the latter stages against Oman.

Jaroensak Wonggorn reached the double-digit mark for caps with the national team last weekend, Nicholas Mickelson can hit that milestone on Thursday, while Peeradon Chamratsamee is looking to make his 20th appearance.

Patiwat Khammai only had to make two stops in their previous encounter, collecting his second successive clean sheet of the tournament.

Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup:
Al-Kassar; Al-Saluli, Lajami, Al-Bulaihi; Abdulhamid, Al-Najei, Kanno, N. Al-Dawsari; Radif, S. Al-Dawsari, Al-Shehri

Thailand possible starting lineup:
Khammai; Mickelson, Dolah, Hemviboon, Bunmathan; Charoenrattanapirom, Pomphan; Wonggorn, Sarachat, Phala; Chaided

We say: Saudi Arabia 2-0 Thailand

Both sides have been quite compact defensively, but we are leaning towards the Saudis because we believe they are better suited to handle a pressure situation like this, which is relatively foreign to Thailand.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joel Lefevre

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