Saudis staying upbeat
22 Jun 2006 - 13:16:18
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- Saudis staying upbeat
There's little to play for in Kaiserslautern as Saudi Arabia round off another disappointing World Cup campaign against highly-fancied Spain.
The Sons of the Desert were thrashed 4-0 by Ukraine last time out, having drawn 2-2 with Tunisia in their first game, but coach Marcos Paqueta remains strangely upbeat.
He said: "The important thing is that the players showed they were committed and that we eliminated the image of Saudi Arabia from last time in the World Cup."
Despite that positive assessment, Paqueta looks set to hand veteran goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Deayea a start in place of Mabrouk Zaid, who has conceded six goals in two games.
Sami Al-Jaber may also get a start in attack, offering support to lone striker Yaser Al-Kahtani.
A draw will ensure that Spain top Group H, but veteran coach Luis Aragones is prepared to rest a number of his leading lights, including striker Fernando Torres, who has netted three goals in his first two games.
Aragones confirmed: "Torres is in great form. Hopefully he can continue to play like this. I will, however, rest him on Friday in view of our future games."
David Villa and Raul are likely to play for 45 minutes each in the absence of Torres, with Aragones prepared to field a second string side.
Aragones will be hoping to see his side perform as they did in the second half of their 3-1 win over Tunisia, rather than the lacklustre display they gave in the first 45 minutes of that game.
Torres believes that things are coming together nicely in the Spain camp, adding: "After our 4-0 win against Ukraine in our opener we really thought that everything was done.
"We are slowly gaining confidence in our football. Some days we play well and other days we are made to suffer.
"The important thing is we know that if we work as a team, as we did against Tunisia, we can do anything."