Roberto Mancini turns to fresh faces as Saudi Arabia step up Asian Cup preparations

With the summer of unprecedented spending out of the way and the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League season in full flow, Saudi Arabia was back in global headlines again over the past few days.

Fifa, football's world governing body, have awarded the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with games also taking place in the South American countries of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the tournament’s centenary year.

The decision, coupled with confirmation that the following tournament in 2034 is set to take place in either Asia or Oceania, brought the kingdom a step closer to fulfilling its dream of following on the footsteps of Qatar and hosting football’s premier international football competition.

The Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) claims it has the backing of over 70 countries, and also has the backing of the Asian Football Confederation.

Several thousand miles away in the Portuguese coastal city of Portimao, far from all the drama and media spotlight, Roberto Mancini’s 31-man squad continue their preparation for the upcoming Asian Cup with a training camp and two friendly matches against Nigeria and Mali.

While this will be Mancini’s third match in charge of the team since his appointment eight weeks ago, it will, essentially, be the first time he is taking with him a squad of his own selection, having followed Saudi Pro League matches over the past few rounds.

September's internationals came only a few days after the Italian's appointment, and he oversaw a squad largely based on the last one inherited from his predecessor Herve Renard. Mancini lost both matches; to Costa Rica 3-1 then to South Korea 1-0.

Ahead of the Nigeria match on Friday, Mancini will be looking to answer some pressing questions in