The year 2024 has become a thing of the past, and as the new year bell of 2025 rings, the time for the resumption of the final four rounds of the top 18 qualifiers is drawing near. The highlight of Chinese football in 2025 will still be the World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region, with the Chinese men's national team making another push for qualification in the final stages. The national team's first appearance in 2025 will be an away challenge against Saudi Arabia, scheduled for 1 AM Beijing time on March 21, 2025. If the national team can create a miracle by defeating Saudi Arabia, the possibility of direct qualification will significantly increase.
Saudi Arabia is a traditional powerhouse in Asian football, currently ranked 59th in the world and 8th in Asia. However, the entire year of 2024 was a disaster for the Saudi team. They were eliminated in the round of 16 at the Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, which was their worst performance in the competition. Then, in the last round of the group stage in the Asian World Cup qualifiers, they suffered a surprising home defeat to Jordan, resulting in Jordan taking the top spot in the group. Consequently, Saudi Arabia could only participate in the top 18 draw as a third-tier team and was ultimately placed in the "group of death," Group C.
Mancini, the famous coach who led Italy to win the European Championship, came to coach Saudi Arabia after the Qatar World Cup. However, following the introduction of European stars like Cristiano Ronaldo into the Saudi league, the league's attention skyrocketed. But due to the arrival of high-level foreign players, the playing time for Saudi players was reduced, ultimately leading to a decline in form. This was also the direct cause of Saudi Arabia's failure in the Qatar Asian Cup and their upset in the 36-strong qualifiers. In the top 18 qualifiers, Saudi Arabia's slump continued, accumulating only 6 points in 6 games and losing two of them. The 0-2 away defeat to Indonesia completely exposed their vulnerabilities.
Currently, Saudi Arabia's points in Group C are level with Indonesia, Bahrain, and the Chinese men's national team. Due to the head-to-head record and goal difference, Saudi Arabia is only ranked fourth in Group C, trailing the top-ranked Japanese team by 10 points. It should be noted that in the previous World Cup qualifiers, Saudi Arabia outperformed Japan and Australia to win the group and qualify for the Qatar World Cup. Now, Saudi Arabia is in a very difficult situation, facing the crisis of elimination and missing out on qualification. Even if Mancini were to be sacked, it would not be enough to pull Saudi Arabia out of the mire.
Saudi Arabia's poor form has given the Chinese men's national team an opportunity. In the first six rounds, the Chinese team achieved a record of two wins and four losses. Throughout 2024, the Chinese team won the matches they were expected to win, consecutively defeating Indonesia and Bahrain, while losing the anticipated matches, including defeats by Japan at home and away, as well as losses to Saudi Arabia and Australia. During the break, the Chinese Football Association actively handled the naturalization and entry procedures for two major foreign players, Xiaosika and Serginho. Their debut with the national team will be the away match against Saudi Arabia.
The addition of Xiaosika and Serginho has qualitatively enhanced the strength of the Chinese men's national team's midfield and front line. Zhang Yuning will welcome his strongest assistant, Xiaosika, while Serginho's arrival will effectively address the lack of creativity in the national team's midfield. Such a Chinese men's national team has fans filled with anticipation. In the first leg against Saudi Arabia, the national team took the lead and had a numerical advantage but was eventually overturned by the Saudi team, leaving the Chinese players full of regret. Therefore, in the second leg, the national team will fully learn from this lesson and is expected to snatch points from the away game.
As the first show of Chinese football in the new year, the Chinese football team attaches great importance to this match. Starting from January 8, the Chinese men's national team will reconvene for training to prepare for the top 18 qualifiers. According to reports from domestic football media, the chairman of the Chinese Football Association, Song Kai, will come to watch this key battle of the national team on site. If the national team can finally defeat Saudi Arabia 1-0, it will end the embarrassing record of not winning against Saudi Arabia for nine years, creating a miracle. At that time, the national team's pursuit of a direct promotion will no longer be a dream.