Saudi Arabia vs Greece PREVIEW & PREDICTION 15/05/2018

SAUDI ARABIA VS GREECE PREVIEW & PREDICTION

The first preparations for the World Cup in Russia are just around the corner. The national team of Saudi Arabia receives that of Greece in the Estadio Olimpico and thus starts the preparation for the big tournament. The Arabs were able to qualify successfully for Russia and come to the honor of playing the opening match against Russia. Greece had to be beaten in the play-off against Croatia clearly and therefore does not belong to the participating teams.

Saudi Arabia:

Although the national team of Saudi Arabia is among the underdogs of the tournament at the upcoming World Cup, it is nevertheless a team that should not be underestimated. The well-rehearsed team of Spanish coach Juan Antonio Pizzi was able to defeat in the qualifiers including Japan, where well-known players such as Yuya Osako, Keisuke Honda, Makoto Hasebe, Gotoku Sakai or Yuto Nagatomo accumulate. Algeria and Moldova have been defeated in recent friendlies, while the Arabs drew 1-1 against Ukraine. At the World Cup, the team in Group A meets hosts Russia, Egypt and Uruquay.

Particularly striking is the home strength of the Saudi Arabian national team. The last five home games were all won. A 2-0 win over Algeria, a 3-0 win over Moldova, Japan and Iraq were defeated 1-0 and the United Arab Emirates defeated 3-0. A goal difference of 10: 0 in the last five home matches reflects the class of the team.

The team consists mainly of players of their own league. The team is supplemented by some players who are involved in the Spanish La Liga, but there occupy only reserve roles.

Greece:

The Greek national team is only allowed to watch the World Cup in Russia. Although they ended in qualifying the group with second place behind Belgium, but in the play-off against Croatia they had to give up clearly beaten. The Croats sat down with a 4: 1 in the first leg and a 0-0 in the second leg. After this bitter disappointment followed a 0: 1 defeat in a friendly international match against Switzerland. But the team then showed morality and prevailed against Egypt, with her superstar Mohamed Salah, with a 0-1 victory.

German coach Michael Skibbe relies on a stable and orderly defense and a counterattacking offensive, as was the case in previous years for Greece. This is also reflected in the latest results, where only two goals have been scored in three games.

Greece has a little more legionnaires in its ranks than the Saudi Arabia team. Kyriakos Papadopoulos from HSV or Anastasios Donis from VfB Stuttgart play for the Greek national team. However, both will not play against Saudi Arabia, as the season ended in the German Bundesliga until this weekend. The starting grid in the upcoming game will most likely only be composed of players from their own league.


PREDICTION: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.54

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