The Lebanon national football team has intensified its preparations after arriving in the Qatari capital, Doha, as they enter the final phase of training for the Asian Cup for the third time in their history, starting on the 12th of this month, where they will play the opening match of the tournament against the hosts and defending champions.
In continuation of their training program, our national team has engaged in exercises at the Al-Aqla Stadium under the guidance of Montenegrin head coach Miodrag Radulović and his assistant staff, who are focused on preparing for the upcoming friendly match against Saudi Arabia tomorrow at 15:30 Beirut time at Al-Wakrah Club Stadium, in addition to the three matches that the "Cedars" will play in Group A, which also includes China and Tajikistan.
Undoubtedly, the match against the strong Saudi "Green" coincides with raising the level of Lebanese preparations for this significant challenge, as playing against a team of such size and strength will have positive technical benefits for the "Cedars," regardless of the result, especially as Saudi Arabia enters this tournament as one of the top contenders for the continental title.
The Saudi team is coached by the famous Italian trainer Roberto Mancini, who has chosen a squad primarily made up of players who are participating in the Asian Cup for the first time in their careers. However, more than half of the squad (15 out of 26) consists of players from the two strongest teams in the local league, namely Al-Hilal, the leaders, and Al-Nassr, the runners-up. Notable names include defender Ali Al-Bulayhi, midfield duo Salem Al-Dawsari and Muhammad Kanno, in addition to attackers Fahd Al-Muwallad, Feras Al-Breikan, and Saleh Al-Shehri.
Moreover, Radulović considers this match, which will take place behind closed doors, as a crucial testing ground to finalize the Lebanese lineup that will play the first match in the Asian Cup, as well as the tactical strategy that will be employed against the Qatari team, which also possesses high technical capabilities and well-known effective playmakers. Additionally, our coach will gain more insight into the readiness of his players physically, given the demands that the match against Saudi Arabia will impose, and assess the ability of substitutes to support the starting lineup. It is noteworthy that striker Omar Shaban Boughel was scheduled to arrive in Doha and join the Lebanese delegation, which will be complete at the end of the week with the arrival of Basel Gradi, who will play one last match with his team Bangkok United, the leaders of the Thai league, before joining the national team.
### Lebanon vs. Saudi Arabia Statistics
The Lebanon and Saudi teams have met 13 times, each securing 4 victories while drawing 5 matches. Lebanon has scored 18 goals against Saudi Arabia in their encounters while conceding 19 goals. The "Green" and the "Cedars" have played their matches in 7 different countries: Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. Lebanon's largest victory over the Saudi national team was a 7-1 triumph during the Arab Games held in Morocco in 1961. The Lebanese national team has had 6 different captains in its last 6 matches against Saudi Arabia, including the 2-0 loss in the 2019 Asian Cup.
