Saudi Arabia vs China prediction, H2H and probable lineups - March 20, 2025
One of the most intriguing matches of the seventh round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will be played on Thursday in Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia will face China. We offer a prediction on goals in this clash with good chances of success.
Match preview
The Saudi Arabian national team remains one of the leading forces in Asian football, but its recent results have been met with mixed reviews. At the Asian Cup in winter, the "Green Falcons" confidently won their group, earning seven points, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, losing to South Korea on penalties. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team also doesn't currently look like an unshakeable favorite.
In the second stage of qualification, the Saudis finished only second, behind Jordan. In the initial rounds of the third stage, the results were inconsistent: they managed to defeat China away, but drew three times and suffered two defeats against Japan (0-2) and Indonesia (0-2). Currently, Saudi Arabia occupies fourth place in the group, trailing Indonesia only on goal difference, and one point behind second-placed Australia.
The Chinese national team did not please its fans at the Asian Cup in Qatar, going through the tournament without a single victory. The "Great Wall" earned only two points, drawing with Tajikistan and Lebanon, but the crucial match against the tournament hosts ended unfavorably – a defeat to future champions Qatar dashed their hopes of reaching the playoffs.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team started confidently and finished second in their group, behind South Korea, in the second stage. The third stage of qualifying is predictably weaker for China, as they occupy the last place in the table after six matches. On the other hand, China managed to beat Indonesia and Bahrain, and now four teams have equal chances to qualify for the World Cup.
Probable lineups
- Saudi Arabia: Al-Owais, Al-Tambakti, Lahami, Kadesh, Abdulhamid, Al-Juwair, Al-Malki, Al-Dawsari, Al-Hamdan, Al-Dawsari, Al-Buraikan
- China: Wang, Hu, Zhu, Jiang, Yang, Xi, Wang, Xu, Sao, Liy, Wei
Match facts and head-to-head
- In the first match, Saudi Arabia defeated the opponent with a score of 2-1
- The "Both teams to score" bet hit in three out of the last five matches
- The "Total over 2.5" bet hit in two out of five matches
Prediction
Bookmakers favor Saudi Arabia and offer odds at the level of 1.34. The Saudis are not impressive and may encounter problems at home. It's better to take "Total over 2.5" with odds of 1.77 here.
