LONDON: Key midfielder Abdullah Otayf has underlined the growing sense of ambition in the Saudi Arabia squad by claiming they have their sights set on going deeper into the tournament than any Green Falcons team before them.
Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side will launch the tournament against Russia on Thursday but the team’s aspirations go way beyond having the distinction of taking part in the opening game. Saudi Arabia reached the last 16 in 1994, but Otayf has seen enough in friendlies and in training to believe the class of 2018 can not only match that, but surpass it.
“We have great ambitions and this is reflected through the support via various social media networks and the supports of our leaders,” he said in the pre-match press conference in St. Petersburg.
“As I said we have great ambitions, but what matter most is that we play as a one team and present a performance worthy of Saudi football, and we will achieve great results. We have great ambitions and we hope to be able to reach round of 16 and round of 8. This needs great efforts but we hope to be able to reach our goal. We are very well prepared and ready at all levels. Everything is going smoothly.”
Saudi Arabia will be hoping to seize on the fact that Russia have not played a competitive game for more than a year and that they might feel the pressure of an expectant home crowd. The Russians have not won a game since the 4-3 win over South Korea in October.,
“Russia are a good team with great players,” Otayf said.
“We won’t pay any attention to the things happening outside the field. We must focus on our own game. The team with the highest focus and the least errors will win.”
Yahya Al-Shehri should get the nod to play in one of the three midfield positions behind the lone striker and he watched a re-run of the Russians’ 1-0 loss to Austria and their 1-1 draw with Turkey.
“We watched the warm-up match that took place lately,” he said.
“We watched the previous warm-up matches, they have a good team with great players, I don’t have a specific name in my mind. They have in place an integrated system, whether in term of attack or zone defense. That’s what I have noticed. But it does not show the true caliber of Russia team. The performance of the team during an official match differs a lot than warm-up match. We must focus on the weaknesses of the Russia squad and exploit them. We must focus on our game and present and excellent performance so as to win.”
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation have pulled out all the stops for the Kingdom’s fifth appearance at the finals. They have arranged five training camps and nine friendlies this year. No team at the finals will have played more warm-up games than the Green Falcons.
“We are hoping for the best thanks to our preparations and trainings during the past period,” Al-Shehri said.
“We have completed our preparations and spent a big deal of time together. I think the game against Russia will be very difficult and I hope, we will be able to beat Russia because we came here to achieve our ambitions.”
Saudi Arabia confident they can cause a few shocks at World Cup
Saudi Arabia confident they can cause a few shocks at World Cup
- Midfielder certain side can create history by making the last-eight in Russia.
- Green Falcons reached the last 16 at USA 94.
Fleetwood targets world no. 1 as he defends Dubai Invitational title
- Event is taking place at Dubai Creek Resort from Jan. 15-18
DUBAI: Tommy Fleetwood is relishing the challenge of playing against a world-class field at the Dubai Invitational as he looks to successfully defend his title and mount a charge towards the world no. 1 ranking at Dubai Creek Resort from Jan. 15-18.
The Englishman produced a dramatic birdie-birdie finish at the inaugural event in 2024 to edge out Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy on the final day, and he heads into the opening event of the International Swing full of confidence after a career-defining 2025 season.
The 34-year-old became only the second Englishman in history to capture the PGA Tour’s prestigious FedExCup title with his victory at the Tour Championship. He followed that triumph with a victory at the DP World India Championship before playing a starring role in Europe’s historic Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black, finishing as the leading points scorer across both teams.
“I played really well here two years ago,” said the Dubai resident. “I enjoyed playing with Rory in that last round.
“Any time you get to test yourself against one of the greatest of all time is always a lot of fun. It’s a great finish. I think it was a good reminder that anything can happen, that you just have to stick in. I felt like I had control of the tournament on the back nine and Rory came through. Thriston (Lawrence) had an amazing round. And things went my way. It was just a reminder that you have to keep going and play until the very end.
“And winning is always cool. I had the family there. It was amazing.”
Off the back of his stellar 2025 season, Fleetwood finds himself at a career-high third in the official world golf ranking, with runaway leader Scottie Scheffler and career Grand Slam winner McIlroy the only players above him.
While Fleetwood knows there is much work to do to get past them, he is aiming for the very top, with this week’s Dubai Invitational offering early-season opportunities to build momentum toward that goal.
“I would love to,” he said of challenging for top spot. “There is a clear gap, those two guys are definitely the best golfers in the world. I’m just one of the players in the pack behind that has some catching up to do there.
“Look at every aspect of my game, where I can improve, where I can pick the smallest amount of shots up to those guys.
“But it’s an amazing challenge, if you think of it like that. Starting the year in a different position than I’ve ever been, world no. 3, and I think that’s very cool and very exciting to have to think about trying to maintain the level that I’ve reached there, and I think that’s very, very exciting.”
Fleetwood will once again face McIlroy in the field, alongside fellow Open champions Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Francesco Molinari. The field also boasts multiple DP World Tour winners, including Ryan Fox, Matt Wallace, Nicolai Hojgaard and Race to Dubai leader Jayden Schaper.
The 60 professionals will be joined by 60 amateurs competing in the pro-am format, including tournament host Abdulla Al-Naboodah, NFL legends Larry Fitzgerald and John Elway, along with former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke.
