JEDDAH: Head coach Roberto Mancini is thinking only about victory as Saudi Arabia prepare for their third-round World Cup qualifying match against Indonesia tomorrow night.
But the Italian is expecting some stern opposition from his Southeast Asian opponents when the game kicks off at 9 p.m. at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
“Indonesia is a very difficult team and of course the first game is also difficult,” he told a press conference on Wednesday.
“Indonesia has developed its football and they have so many players playing in Europe and the United States and I think they are ready too. Our goal is clear — to win the match.”
Mancini said he was hoping the crowd would play its part.
“It’s a high-level match. I hope Jeddah’s supporters stand behind us, we really need their support which will have a positive impact on the performance of our players.”
The coach was also asked about Falcons defender Saud Abdulhamid’s recent move to AS Roma, making him the first Saudi Arabian to play in Serie A.
“Abdulhamid spoke with me about six months ago and showed his interest to play in Europe. I was clear with him and told him to go ahead and work on it,” he said.
“Later on, I received a call from Daniele De Rossi, the head coach of AS Roma, and (he) asked me about Abdulhamid. I told him clearly that he is a good player and has the ability and skills to play for any European club.
“I hope to see more players go abroad to experience true professionalism. It’s great to have a group of Saudi players competing in the top European leagues. This certainly strengthens our squad.”
Mancini was also asked what he thought about the rule allowing Saudi teams to recruit up to eight foreign players.
“Attracting numerous top-level players from European leagues is a good idea but not in such a big number,” he said.
“On the other hand, attracting numerous top-level players from the European league definitely will have a positive result because Saudi local players will learn from those players.”
Falcons Forward Fahad Al-Mwalid said he too was looking forward to tomorrow night’s game and felt confident the team could come out on top.
“As the coach said, it is always difficult when you play your first game. We have all the respect for the Indonesian team but we are confident to win while playing at home and in front of our fans.”
Indonesia’s head coach Shin Tae-yong said his players were expecting a tough match but were ready for the challenge.
“We are playing with very strong Asian teams in Group C, including Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, but will do our best,” he said. “We have to fight with determination to stand strong.”
Indonesia has never reached a World Cup finals and Shin is being realistic about his team’s chances.
“We don’t know what will happen in football,” he said. “The realistic goal is to reach the playoffs by ranking third in the third qualifying round. That’s our goal.”
Defender Jay Idzes said he expected the Indonesian team to “give our best possible performance.”
“We understand that the Saudi league has reached a very advanced level of professionalism and now we see the players playing in Europe. But we are aiming to win.
“This is a match that we know is difficult, but it is football and we will do everything we can to put the Indonesian team on the map.”
