Saudi Arabia has a 'secret weapon', Indonesia's 2026 World Cup qualification is in danger

Saudi Arabia made a breakthrough ahead of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia in October, when they recruited a set-piece specialist from Arsenal FC, to prepare for the two matches against Indonesia and Iraq.

Extremely hot 2 World Cup 2026 slots for Asia region

Riyadiya TV has just confirmed that the Saudi Arabia national team's coaching staff has added an important member, coach Nicolas Jover, Arsenal's expert in training set-piece situations, including corner kicks, to prepare for the matches in the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia in October.

The Indonesian team will face Saudi Arabia again in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. In the previous qualifying round, they beat this opponent 2-0 and drew 1-1 - Photo: Reuters

"Nicolas Jover secretly worked with the Saudi Arabian team during their international friendly match in the Czech Republic during the FIFA Days in September. This breakthrough will cause a lot of anxiety for the Indonesian team, before the meeting between the two teams in October to decide the remaining 2026 World Cup spots in Asia," CNN Indonesia expressed.

The fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia will take place from October 8 to 14, with 6 participating teams divided into 2 groups, including Group A with Qatar (host), UAE, Oman; Group B with Saudi Arabia (host), Iraq and Indonesia.

Only the top two teams from each group will qualify for the finals. The second-placed teams will play two play-off matches (called round five) on November 13 and 18 to determine the winner and qualify for the intercontinental play-off round, continuing to nurture hope in the play-off.

According to the match schedule set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in Group B, the Indonesian team, the only representative of the Southeast Asian region remaining in the fourth qualifying round, will start with a match against Saudi Arabia at 0:15 on October 9. Then, the match against Iraq will be at 2:30 on October 12 (both Vietnam time).

The crucial nature of each match in this round will determine any chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, so the Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) has prepared for all possible scenarios, including making full use of set-piece situations to gain an advantage.

Coach Kluivert will have to find solutions to neutralize Saudi Arabia's set-piece situations - Photo: Reuters

"The fact that SAFF invited a good coach like Nicolas Jover shows that importance. Nicolas Jover has helped Arsenal score 70 goals from set pieces in the last 4 seasons, many of which were corner kicks and completely changed the game.

Certainly, the Indonesian team will have to be extremely vigilant, coach Kluivert and his colleagues must also find a solution right now to resolve this situation," the Indonesian press warned the home team early.

Nicolas Jover still works with Mikel Arteta's coaching staff at Arsenal, but during FIFA Days when the club is not playing, the coach collaborates with the Saudi Arabian team to coach players on set pieces.

"After the September FIFA Days in the Czech Republic, Nicolas Jover will continue to accompany the Saudi Arabian team in October to prepare for two matches against Indonesia and Iraq, with the goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup," Riyadiya TV further revealed.

The Saudi Arabian team's preparation was probably not superfluous, because in the third qualifying round (in 2024), the Indonesian team shocked them with a 1-1 draw in Jeddah and a 2-0 win in Jakarta. At that time, the Indonesian team was still led by coach Shin Tae-yong, before Mr. Kluivert was appointed from January 2025 until now.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/a-rap-xe-ut-co-vu-khi-bi-mat-indonesia-lam-nguy-suat-du-world-cup-2026-185250916112954667.htm