Heat and Dust

José Peseiro gave his pre-match press conference and stated that he was confident that the team had what it takes to beat DPR Korea and clinch the final qualifying spot.

However, he warned against complacency in front of the Koreans who have one of the strongest defensive lines in the qualifying stages ( 4th behind South Korea,Japan and Australia) and the fact that they only need a draw to guarantee qualification. He also downplayed the fact that the North Koreans are unaccustomed to playing in hot weather, noting that the attacking team (this being Saudi Arabia) will suffer more fatigue in trying to go for goal rather than a defensive team.

When asked why he chose Mohamed Nami as starting right back against Iran and UAE when Hilal are looking to offload the player Peseiro simply replied that he’s Saudi Arabia’s coach, not Al Hilal’s.

And about the unavailability of the Ahmed and Abdoh Ateef he admitted it was a huge blow but will do his best to make up for it.

And finally, North Korean coach Kim-Jong Hun isn’t adapting to the weather very well, after delaying his team’s training session due to heat he had to cancel it altogether when a dust haze blew in!