Saudi Arabia host Venezuela at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on Friday (March 24) for a friendly.
The Green Falcons play for the first time since their group stage exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last November. Herve Renard’s side started their campaign with a stunning 2-1 win over eventual winners Argentina, but defeats to Poland and Mexico knocked them out before the knockouts.
Saudi Arabia played in the Arabian Gulf Cup in January this year, but it was mostly a second-string group. They lost to Iraq and Oman after beating Yemen in their opener. The Middle Eastern giants have called up 26 players for this month’s double header, with all of them plying their trade with local clubs.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s wait for a first appearance at the World Cup continued following another disappointing qualifying campaign in the CONMEBOL zone, picking up just three wins in 18 games. With the qualifiers for the next edition of the cup set to begin in September, La Vinotinto will look up to these friendlies as a chance to prepare for the same.
Fernando Batista has named 29 players for this month’s friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, including captain Tomas Rincon and record goalscorer Salomon Rondon. The former West Brom star has 38 goals in 92 appearances, at least 15 more than any player in the nation’s history.
Match Details:
- Match: Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela
- Date: 25 March 2023
- Time: 12:30 am
- Venue: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Prediction
Venezuela got the better of Saudi Arabia last time and will look to make it a double, but the Green Falcons have improved a lot since then and could exact revenge.
Prediction: Saudi Arabia 2-1 Venezuela
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Head-To-Head
- Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have met just once – last year in a friendly – which La Vinotinto won 1-0, courtesy of a Nahuel Ferraresi strike.
- After going seven games unbeaten, Saudi Arabia have lost four of their last five games, including two at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
- Venezuela have lost just one of their last six games, going unbeaten in their last three.
- The visitors have scored eight goals in their last three games.
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Live Stream Time
This match will start from 12:30 am
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Date
This match will take place on 25 March 2023
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Team News
Fahad Al-Rashidi and Hussain Al-Qahtani were the only two players selected by Renard who have yet to earn a senior cap with Saudi Arabia, while Al-Nassr keeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi made his first three appearances for the national team at the Gulf Cup earlier this year.
Firas Al-Buraikan has 10 goals in the Saudi Professional League this season, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo, while the last player to score for the national team was Turki Al-Ammar, the first internationally for the Al-Shabab midfielder, who was not selected for this encounter.
Saleh Al-Shehri had the equaliser for the Saudis in their upset over Argentina last November, with the winner coming courtesy of Salem Al-Dawsari, who also scored in their defeat to Mexico (2-1), equalling former striker Sami Al-Jaber for the most goals with the Green Falcons in World Cup competition (three).
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Lineups
Saudi Arabia:
Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Al-Tambakti, Al-Amri, Al-Harbi; Kanno, Sharahili; S. Al-Dawsari, Al-Khaibari, Al-Aboud; Al-Buraikan
Venezuela:
Graterol; Hernandez, Navarro, Makoun, O. Gonzalez; Savarino, Rincon, Moreno; Cordova, Rondon, Josef Martinez
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Odds
We say: Saudi Arabia 1-0 Venezuela
Although the Venezuelans play with much less fear in friendlies than games that count, the Green Falcons are in an element they know well and should benefit from the home crowd and an environment they are comfortable in, so we believe they will have the edge on Friday.
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Stats
- Saudi Arabia 39.3%
- Venezuela 32.02%
- Draw 28.65%
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Saudi Arabia
Tip 2 – Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Betting Trends
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Saudi Arabia win with a probability of 39.31%. A win for Venezuela has a probability of 32.03% and a draw has a probability of 28.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Saudi Arabia win is 1-0 with a probability of 12.64%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 2-1 (7.95%) and 2-0 (7.57%). The likeliest Venezuela win is 0-1 (11.09%), while for a drawn scoreline it is 1-1 (13.28%).
Saudi Arabia vs Venezuela Where To Watch Live International Friendly Today Match
Watch International Friendlies Live Stream | DAZN AT.