Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualification match.
Saudi Arabia, who comfortably topped their group to qualify for the previous World Cup, now find themselves in serious danger of missing out on the next one. They have the same number of points as China, who sit bottom of the group. The loser of this match could see their qualification hopes all but disappear.
Saudi Arabia
With six points from six matches, Saudi Arabia initially sat in second place, though far behind group leaders Japan. Their only victory so far came in the second round, a 2:1 away win against China. However, their campaign has been plagued by draws, particularly goalless ones, against Bahrain and Australia. After disappointing results under Roberto Mancini, the Saudi federation opted to part ways with the Italian and brought back Hervé Renard, the coach who led them to the 2022 World Cup. His influence has already been felt, with the team tightening up defensively.
China
China also saw a managerial change, replacing their head coach in February last year following a disastrous Asian Cup campaign. Croatian Branko Ivanković took charge and narrowly guided the team to the third round, edging out Thailand on head-to-head results. At the start of this stage, China lost their first three matches but responded with consecutive wins over Indonesia (2:1) and Bahrain (1:0) to climb to fourth place. However, a 1:3 defeat against Japan saw them drop back to the bottom. Their defence has been a major weakness, conceding 16 goals in six games, though they did manage a clean sheet against Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia vs China Prediction
Saudi Arabia remain the stronger side, and their main issue has been poor finishing, scoring just three goals in six matches. However, China’s defensive frailties suggest that the home side should find the net. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia have only conceded an average of one goal per game, which should keep the total score low.
