Estadio Municipal de Portimao will host a thrilling international friendly between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria on Friday 13th October.
These two intercontinental giants are preparing for the next World Cup qualifiers and their recent form has seen them take different paths.
Nigeria entered this friendly in good form, having advanced to the AFCON qualifiers with a 6-0 victory over Sao Tome and Principe in September.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was outstanding, scoring a hat-trick, with Ademola Lookman, Taiwo Awoniyi and Samuel Chukwueze also contributing.
The Super Eagles, who have won each of their last three matches and scored 10 goals, will hope to continue their good form against Saudi Arabia.
In stark contrast, the three-time Asian Cup winners have endured a difficult period with six consecutive losses.
The Green Falcons impressively defeated Argentina 2-1 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the only team to beat the world champions. However, they have lost eight of nine games since then.
The latest defeat came at the hands of South Korea, with Cho Gu Sung’s first-half shot at St. James Park doing all the damage.
Saudi Arabia’s attacking problems are clear, with just four goals scored in their last six games. The Green Falcons will be desperate to reverse their fortunes against Nigeria.
Head-to-head history
Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have only met once at international level, in a friendly before the 2010 World Cup, which ended in a goalless draw at Abuja Stadium.
Interestingly, Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu was the captain of the Super Eagles and current Saudi head coach Jose Peseiro was in charge of the Saudi team that day.
Match facts
- Saudi Arabia’s last meeting with African opposition was a 1-0 loss to Morocco in December 2021 during the Arab Cup group stage.
- The Super Eagles have found the net ten times in their last three matches, ending a three-game goalless streak.
- The Green Falcons have struggled defensively, going without a clean sheet in their past six games across various competitions.
- In FIFA rankings, Nigeria are ranked 40th, 17 places above Saudi Arabia.
- Italian manager Roberto Mancini, currently in charge of Saudi Arabia, is the highest-paid coach in the world, earning 25 million euros per year.
Team news
Saudi Arabia’s team is made up of players from the domestic league, including top scorer Salem Al-Dawsari, who has scored 21 goals in 78 games.
On the other hand, Roberto Mancini named 31 players in his squad for this match, giving him plenty of options.
However, Nigeria currently has the best attacking force in world football.
Despite the absence of Paul Onuachu, Taiwo Awoniyi and Gift Orbán, Jose Peceiro has called up a full squad including Bayer Leverkusen’s top-scoring striker Victor Boniface and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen did.
Osimhen, who recently moved into third place on Nigeria’s all-time goalscoring list, is looking to add to his impressive record of 20 goals in 26 appearances for Nigeria.
Possible starting lineups
Saudi Arabia: al-Owais; al-Shahrani, al-Tambakti, al-Boreahi, al-Ghannam. Kanno, Al-Khaibari, and N. Al-Dawsari. S. Al-Dawsari, Al-Hamdan, Al-Shehri
Nigeria: Weg;Osai Samuel, Ajayi, Bassey, Onyemaechi. Ndidi, Iwobi, Aribo, Lookman. Osimhen, Boniface
Match details
Competition – International Friendly Match – Saudi Arabia vs NigeriaVenue – Estadio Municipal, Portimao, Portugal< br>Date > – Friday 13 October 2023
Kick-off time – 5pm (Nigerian time)Live commentary: Soccernet .ng
