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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia must be doing something right, having qualified for a third World Cup in a row. With seasoned veteran Sami Al-Jaber leading the way, the Saudis managed to negotiate a tricky qualifying campaign.
In 1994, they beat Belgium to become the first Asian nation for 28 years to make it into the second round, but don't expect them to make much of an impact in the finals this time.
As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto takes a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.
Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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Coach Nasser Al-Johar, who became a hero by leading the team to the finals after a disastrous start by former managers Milan Macala and Slobodan Santrac, likes to employ a traditional 4-4-2. The strength of the squad is in a versatile midfield, where Al-Jaber pulls the strings.
The Saudis don't seem to have many problems scoring goals (47 goals in a total of 14 qualifiers), but also have trouble in keeping a clean sheet. If they are going to make any kind of impact, central defender Abdullah Sulleiman must solidify a shaky back line.
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Sami Al-Jaber. Still only 29, Al-Jaber is by far the most experienced Saudi player. His goal against Morocco at the '94 finals helped the nation to its first ever World Cup win. He became the first Saudi to play in English football when Wolves signed him last season, but he failed to make much of an impact.
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International experience. Not one of the squad members plays outside Saudi Arabia, which means they never have a chance to come up against the world's best players. This will hurt them in the finals, where the level of play will be infinitely higher.
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Momentum. It is certainly on their side now after an impressive final push in qualifying. They barely made it through, only after Iran choked in its final games. But will momentum alone inspire confidence in a team that knows it will be over-matched? That is what coach Al-Johar will be hoping to convince his players of.
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Saudi Arabia finished in first place in Asia's final qualifying group. It edged out Iran by two points. The Saudis played a total of eight games in the final phase, winning five, drawing two and losing one. They scored a whopping 17 goals and conceded only seven. |
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Saudi Arabia is playing in the World Cup finals for the third straight time and the third time overall. They made the second round in '94, and finished a disappointing 28th four years ago.
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The Saudis have a few skillful players but they are not solid enough to make it into the second round. As a matter of fact, I don't even expect them to win a game. Their defense is dodgy and the players are very naïve tactically.
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