The Green Falcons are heading into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 friendly-defeat to South Korea last month, while their African counterparts thrashed Sao Tome Principe 6-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last time out.
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Nigeria will be bidding to extend their winning run to four games in the international circuit when they take on Saudi Arabia in a friendly at Estadio Municipal de Portimao in Portugal on Friday evening. The two sides are heading into the match on the back of contrasting results in their last outings in September, with the Green Falcons suffering a narrow 1-0 friendly-defeat to South Korea, while their African counterparts thrashed Sao Tome Principe 6-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last time out. Friday’s fixture will be the first meeting between these two sides and it would be interesting to see whether Saudi Arabia’s new boss Roberto Mancini can register his first victory and start their journey to reach the pinnacle of world football.
🟢 Matchday 🟢
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 🆚 Nigeria 🇳🇬
🖥 | @riyadiyatv
🕙⎪ 7 : 00 pm KSA
🏟⎪ Estádio Municipal de Portimão
🏆 | Friendly Match#GreenFalcons pic.twitter.com/BQgyOYhIwn— Saudi National Team (@SaudiNT_EN) October 13, 2023
Since the surprise 1-0 win over Argentina in their World Cup opener in Qatar last year, Saudi Arabia have lost eight of their last nine fixtures across all competitions. Their last success came against Yemen in the Gulf Cup of Nations back in January thanks to two unanswered goals from Sumayhan Alnabit and Musab Al Juwayr. After that, the Green Falcons lost six successive games in all competitions, conceding 12 goals and scoring just four in the period. The team has struggled to find the back of the net and Salem Al-Dawsari’s return to fitness could be a boost for Mancini’s side. Despite the presence of Neymar, Ruben Neves and Aleskandar Mitrovic, the 32-year-old is the joint-third top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with six scalps to his name. The Italian tactician has called up 31 players for the trip to Portugal which also includes a fixture against Mali on Tuesday.
Nigeria, on the other hand, have been in stunning form off late, securing three successive wins in the AFCON qualifiers across March, June and September, scoring ten goals and conceding just three in the process. The Super Eagles put six goals past Sao Tome & Principe in their last outing on September 10 thanks to Napoli striker Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick, alongside efforts from Ademola Lookman, Taiwo Awoniyi and Samuel Chukwueze. The African outfit will be keen to continue their recent upturn in form when they take on Saudi Arabia and Mozambique this month, and head into the World Cup qualifying campaign which begins in November high on confidence.
Saudi Arabia probable starting lineup: Al-Owais; Al-Shahrani, Al-Tambakti, Al-Boleahi, Al-Ghannam; Kanno, Al-Khaibari, N. Al-Dawsari; S. Al-Dawsari, Al-Hamdan, Al-Shehri
Nigeria probable starting lineup: Uzoho, Osayi-Samuel, Bassey, Ebuehi, Torunarigha, Ndidi, Iwobi, Iheanacho, Lookman, Osimhen, Boniface
Saudi Arabia
| Opponents | Score |
| South Korea | 1-0 (L) |
| Costa Rica | 1-3 (L) |
| Bolivia | 1-2 (L) |
| Venezuela | 2-1 (L) |
| Oman | 1-2 (L) |
Nigeria
| Opponents | Score |
| Sao Tome Prinicipe | 6-0 (W) |
| Sierra Leone | 2-3 (W) |
| Guinea Bissau | 0-1 (W) |
| Guinea Bissau | 0-1 (L) |
| Portugal | 4-0 (L) |
The international friendly between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria will take place at Estadio Municipal de Portimao on Friday at 9:30 pm IST.
| Saudi Arabia vs Nigeria | Key Details |
| Date | October 13 |
| Venue | Estadio Municipal de Portimao |
| Kickoff time in Saudi Arabia | 7:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Nigeria | 5:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 9:30 pm |
Football fans in South Africa can catch the live action via DStv app.
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