TEAM NEWS
Mexico
It’s MATCHDAY in Doha. 🇲🇽🌏🏆
Time to give our all. Time to leave everything on the pitch. 💚#Qatar2022 | #MéxicoDeMiVida pic.twitter.com/VMEXoeC1KQ
— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) November 30, 2022
As for Mexico, Andres Guardado was forced off the field due to an injury in their previous outing. However, the midfielder is back in training and is expected to be fit for the big final group clash.
Raul Jimenez is set to get his 100th cap for Mexico and would like to make it even more memorable with a goal or two.
SAUDI ARABIA
🟢 Matchday 🟢
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 🆚 Mexico 🇲🇽
📺 | @alkasschannel ➖ @beINSPORTS
⏱ | 10 : 00 pm KSA
🏟 | Lusail Stadium
🏆 | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 third round of the group stages pic.twitter.com/OO2RqxO0Qf— Saudi National Team (@SaudiNT_EN) November 30, 2022
Saudi Arabia will miss the services of Abdulelah Al-Malki who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament and will be unavailable for selection against Mexico.
Mohammed Al-Burayk, Yasir Al-Shahrani and Salman Al-Faraj are all out for this game due to injury issues.
TALKING POINTS
– Mexico have never lost against Saudi Arabia in all competitions (W4 D1), with all five meetings between the sides coming between 1995 and 1999.
– This is Saudi Arabia’s 19th game at the FIFA World Cup, with all 19 coming against different opponents. It’s the most any nation has played in the competition without ever playing the same side more than once.
– Saudi Arabia are looking to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup for only a second time, and first since their first ever participation in 1994, when they were eventually eliminated from the second round by Sweden
– Mexico are winless in their last four World Cup games (D1 L3), while only once in their history have they been on a longer such run at the tournament, failing to win their first 13 games between 1930 and 1962 (D1 L12).
– Saudi Arabia have only kept one clean sheet in their 18 matches at the World Cup, conceding 42 goals at the finals (2.3 per game). Indeed, among teams with at least 10 games played, they have the lowest clean sheet ratio in the tournament’s history (6%).