Saudi Arabia vs Brazil 13/10/18

13 October 2018

Saudi Arabia will host Brazil at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh following a 2-2 draw with another South American side, Bolivia.

Originally allocated to the World Cup Group A alongside the likes of the hosts Russia, Uruguay, and Egypt, the Green Falcons have ended their journey already after the group stage, with a record of two losses and a win. Although they were labeled huge underdogs ahead of the start of the tournament, a 2-1 triumph over Egypt seemed to make a massive impact on the Green One, who almost snatched a victory over Bolivia, having taken a 2-goal lead in the opening in the opening 11 minutes before allowing La Verde to bounce back and grab a draw.

In the meantime, the Selecao once again failed to live up to expectations at the World Cup, having suffered the quarter-finals elimination to Belgium following a promising start of the competition. However, Tite has managed to drag his team out of dark place, with 5-time FIFA World Cup winners achieving two comfortable wins over the United States and El Salvador, without conceding a goal soon after the end of the final tournament.
It will be the first time since 1999 these two sides will face-off against each other, with Brazil hammering the Asian side by eight goals to two in the last meeting.

As for the hosts, Juan Antonio Pizzi has opted for pretty much the same roster that featured in Russia. On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur forward Lucas Moura has returned to the national team, as well as, Gabriel Jesus, who was omitted from Tite’s squad for September friendlies with the USA and El Salvador. Meanwhile, Marcelo, Douglas Costa, and Everton won’t be available due to various physical problems.