Mancini looking for Saudi Arabia fixes against Nigeria as big games loom

12.10.2023 - 09:01 arabnews.com

There are plenty connections between Saudi Arabia and Portugal in terms of high-profile players and coaches in the Roshn Saudi League and national team coach Roberto Mancini will need a little Portuguese inspiration on Friday.

The Green Falcons have World Cup qualifiers and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in the coming weeks and months and the friendly against Nigeria in the Algarve is a great chance to assess the current state of the West Asian powerhouse.

While there are big competitive games to come, the Italian, appointed in August to replace Herve Renard, would love to get a good result even as he will appreciate the tough test that Nigeria will provide.

If January’s Gulf Cup in Iraq is taken out of the equation — as Saudi Arabia fielded a young team and Renard did not travel — then there have been six straight defeats since that win over Argentina at the World Cup.

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