Saudi Arabia coach confident of easily defeating Indonesia, winning ticket to World Cup

(Dan Tri) - Coach Herve Renard confidently affirmed that the host team Saudi Arabia will defeat Indonesia in the opening match of the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup as well as win a ticket to the final round.

"We will qualify for the fourth qualifying round," coach Herve Renard said ahead of the match between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium early tomorrow morning (0:15 October 9, Vietnam time).

The French strategist helped Saudi Arabia qualify for the 2022 World Cup from the third round of Asian qualifiers, but then moved to take charge of the French women's team.

Coach Herve Renard is optimistic about Saudi Arabia's ability to qualify for the 2026 World Cup (Photo: Getty).

In October 2024, Renard was invited back to lead Saudi Arabia to replace Roberto Mancini. However, the Saudi Arabian team did not repeat the achievement of 4 years ago but had to enter the 4th qualifying round to compete for a ticket to the final round in North America next year with 2 opponents, Indonesia and Iraq.

“Technically we are on the right track. We had a training camp in Europe during the break. But tomorrow is another game and everyone is hoping to qualify for the World Cup. I am confident that we will give more than 100% to qualify for the World Cup.

I came here a year ago and the goal was to qualify directly, but that didn't happen because we needed to improve in many aspects. We have made good progress since the Gulf Cup, and we have to prove it on the pitch because the truth always appears on the pitch," coach Renard said.

Saudi Arabia aims to beat Indonesia in its bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup (Photo: Getty).

The French tactician also confirmed that nearly half of the squad has changed since their last clash with Indonesia, demonstrating his commitment to making Saudi Arabia stronger.

"We have made technical progress, and tomorrow we will see if we have developed enough," Renard affirmed.

When asked about the absence of key players in the Indonesian squad, the 57-year-old coach emphasized: "We are focusing on ourselves and what we need to do this week. Let's play first and then we will talk about it later."

Notably, Saudi defender Nawaf Boushal also expressed similar optimism when he declared: "We are ready for the match. With the support of the fans, we want to win all three points."

In the fourth qualifying round, six teams are competing for two direct tickets to the World Cup finals in North America next year. Saudi Arabia is in Group B with Indonesia and Iraq, while Qatar, UAE and Oman are in Group A.

Teams in each group will play each other once, with the group winners qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The runners-up will then face each other over two legs, with the winners advancing to the intercontinental play-offs.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-saudi-arabia-tu-tin-thang-de-dang-indonesia-gianh-ve-du-world-cup-20251008123332294.htm