By Arkhelaus Wisnu Triyogo

Copyright tempo

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Team will face Saudi Arabia in the opening match of Group B in the Fourth Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for the Asian zone. The crucial match will kick off at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 00:15 WIB and will be broadcast live by RCTI and Vision+.Indonesia enters this round after a solid, yet ultimately insufficient, performance in the third round of Asian zone qualification, where they recorded three wins, three draws, and four losses out of 10 matches. With 12 points, they finished fourth, seven points behind Australia, which secured the second qualification spot.Only the first-ranked team in Group B will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The second-ranked team will advance to the fifth round of qualification, while the third-ranked team will be eliminated. The match against Saudi Arabia is therefore a crucial stepping stone for Indonesia, which aims to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in history.Indonesia managed to defeat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in their last encounter at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, in November 2024. That victory, secured by a goal from young player Marselino Ferdinan, marked Indonesia’s first-ever win against the Green Falcons.Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia finished third in Group C of the third qualification round. The Green Falcons struggled with too many draws, dropping full points in four matches, which cost them a direct qualification spot. This misstep allowed Japan and Australia to secure the automatic places.Should Saudi Arabia finish second in Group B, they would proceed to the fifth round, where second-ranked teams from the fourth round compete for a spot in the inter-confederation playoffs.Latest Team News and TacticsThe Indonesian National Team might rely on Ole Romeny to lead the forward line. However, coach Patrick Kluivert must exercise caution as Romeny has not fully recovered from a leg injury. Losing the 25-year-old Oxford United forward, who has scored three goals in the last four matches for the Garuda squad, would be a heavy blow for Indonesia.If Romeny is absent, Kluivert could start Ramadhan Sananta. Ragnar Oratmangoen and Mauro Zijlstra are also available on the bench. Other key players expected in Indonesia’s starting lineup are captain Jay Idzes (Sassuolo) and Calvin Verdonk (Lille), who will anchor the backline and midfield.As reported by Skor.id, Indonesian coach Patrick Kluivert is predicted to implement a similar scheme to the recent friendly match against Lebanon in September. He favors the 4-2-3-1 formation to maintain balance between defense and attack.In the Saudi camp, coach Herve Renard has several formation options, including the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. Veteran striker Salem Al-Dawsari, who has scored 25 goals for his country, is a certainty for the team. Firas Al-Buraikan and Saleh Al-Shehri are also expected to start.Al-Nassr player Nawaf Al-Aqidi is Saudi Arabia’s number one goalkeeper and will start, while Hassan Al-Tambakti should feature in the defense.Head-to-Head and HistoryDespite their 0-2 loss in Jakarta last November, Saudi Arabia holds a dominant historical record against Indonesia. As reported by Sportsmole, the Green Falcons have achieved 11 wins out of 14 total matches, though Indonesia is currently undefeated in their last two encounters.Saudi Arabia has a long history in the World Cup, having qualified for the final rounds of the last two tournaments, 2018 and 2022, though they were eliminated in the group stage each time. Their best result remains the Round of 16 finish in 1994.Last 5 Meetings of Both Teams07/10/2011 Indonesia 0-0 Saudi Arabia23/03/2013 Indonesia 1-2 Saudi Arabia05/03/2014 Saudi Arabia 1-0 Indonesia05/09/2024 Saudi Arabia 1-1 Indonesia19/11/2024 Indonesia 2-0 Saudi ArabiaLast 5 Matches of the Indonesian National Team25/03/2025 Indonesia 1-0 Bahrain05/06/2025 Indonesia 1-0 China10/06/2025 Japan 6-0 Indonesia05/09/2025 Indonesia 6-0 Chinese Taipei08/09/2025 Indonesia 0-0 LebanonLast 5 Matches of Saudi Arabia19/06/2025 Saudi Arabia 0-1 United States22/06/2025 Saudi Arabia 1-1 Trinidad and Tobago28/06/2025 Mexico 2-0 Saudi Arabia04/09/2025 North Macedonia 1-2 Saudi Arabia08/09/2025 Czech Republic 1-1 Saudi ArabiaPredicted Main Player LineupsIndonesia (4-2-3-1): Maarten Paes; Sandy Walsh, Kevin Diks, Jay Idzes, Dean James; Joey Pelupessy, Calvin Verdonk; Miliano Jonathans, Ricky Kambuaya, Yakob Sayuri; Ole RomenyCoach: Patrick KluivertSaudi Arabia (4-2-3-1): Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi; Saud Abdulhamid, Jehad Thakri, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Moteb Al-Harbi; Ziyad Al-Johani, Abdullah Al-Khaibari; Abdulrahman Al-Obud, Musab Fahd Al-Juwayr, Salem Al-Dawsari; Firas Al-BuraikanCoach: Herve RenardIndonesia vs. Saudi Arabia Match PredictionThe Indonesia vs. Saudi Arabia match is difficult to call. Indonesia has proven they have the tactical ability and talent to defeat the Green Falcons. However, Saudi Arabia benefits significantly from playing in front of their home crowd and possesses the experience of handling the pressure of deep qualification rounds. Given the stakes and home advantage, Saudi Arabia is expected to secure a victory by a narrow margin.Editor’s Choice: Patrick Kluivert Views Indonesia vs. Saudi Arabia Match as a ‘Final’Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News