Pre-match pep talk.
“I found the video of Herv? Renard’s halftime team talk from the Argentina game really interesting,” writes K?ri Tulinius. “His body language is so expressive that the Arabic interpreter is almost unnecessary. I feel I would’ve understood him even with the sound off.”
Poland boss Czeslaw Michniewicz has responded to accusations of being overly defensive by giving Robert Lewandowski a strike partner. Arkadiusz Milik will assist their star man up front.
Saudi Arabia are without Yasser Al-Shahrani. The defender collided with his own keeper, Mohamed Al-Owais, during the last throes of the win over Argentina and suffered a broken jaw and internal bleeding. He’s had surgery back home and happily has posted on Twitter that his “health is good”.
Poland: Szczesny, Bereszynski, Glik, Kiwior, Cash, Bielik, Krychowiak, Frankowski, Zielinski, Milik, Lewandowski.Subs: Jedrzejczyk, Wieteska, Bednarek, Damian Szymanski, Grosicki, Skorupski, Kaminski, Swiderski, Zurkowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Zalewski, Grabara, Piatek, Gumny, Skoras.
Saudi Arabia: Al-Owais, Abdulhamid, Al-Amri, Al-Bulayhi, Al-Burayk, Al-Malki, Al-Buraikan, Al-Naji, Kanno, Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Shehri.Subs: Al-Rubaie, Al-Ghanam, Madu, Otayf, Al-Hassan, Al-Abed, Bahbri, Al-Aboud, Al-Aqidi, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Asiri, Tambakti.
In case you were wondering what that almighty rattle was, the earth was knocked off its axis last Tuesday by this …
… and now Saudi Arabia are one win away from securing a place in the last 16 for only the second time in their history. The first being 1994, Belgium, Saeed Al-Owairan, all that. Poland’s uninspiring goalless draw with Mexico – in which Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty – will surely have given the Saudis extra belief that they can make it. Not that they really require it after seeing off Lionel Messi et al, but you get the general gist. Poland meanwhile will feel a win is essential, with a final game against pre-tournament favourites Argentina coming up. Kick off is at 1pm GMT, 4pm at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan. ??? ????! It’s on!
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