Saudi Arabia to Face Australia in World Cup Playoff
Background
The Saudi Arabian national football team will face Australia in an intercontinental playoff match to determine which team will qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The match will be played at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on June 13, 2022.
Saudi Arabia finished third in their qualifying group, behind Japan and Australia. Australia finished second in their group, behind Japan. The two teams will now face off in a one-off match to determine who will advance to the World Cup.
Preview
Saudi Arabia will be looking to reach the World Cup for the sixth time. They have previously qualified for the tournaments in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2018.
Australia will be looking to reach the World Cup for the fifth time. They have previously qualified for the tournaments in 1974, 2006, 2010, and 2018.
The match is expected to be close. Saudi Arabia is ranked 49th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Australia is ranked 42nd.
Key Players
Some of the key players to watch in the match include:
**Saudi Arabia** * Salem Al-Dawsari * Fahad Al-Muwallad * Yasser Al-Shahrani **Australia** * Mathew Leckie * Aaron Mooy * Jackson IrvinePrediction
The match is expected to be close, but Australia is the slight favorite to win. They have a more experienced team and have been in better form in recent months.
However, Saudi Arabia has a good record in playoff matches and will be confident of causing an upset.
