Coach: Gabriel Calderon
Tactics: Short passing and high tempo game.
Star Player: Mohammad Al Shloob - known as 'baby Maradona'. One of the Middle East's rising stars.
Verdict: Little chance of getting past the group stages, Saudi Arabia's main ambition will be to avoid humiliation as an 8-0 thrashing at the hands of Germany in 2002 is still fresh in the memory. Their only hope is that organisation and hard work will minimise the damage.
Ten things you didn’t know about Saudi Arabia
1. Saudi Arabia is the only country named after its ruling family. It is got its name from the ruling Al Sa'ud family, who came to power in the 18th century.
2. In 1985, Prince Sultan Ibn Salman, a nephew of the late King Fahd, travelled aboard the space shuttle Discovery, becoming the first Arab and first Muslim to travel in space.
3. A Saudi Arabian woman can apparently divorce her husband if he does not keep her supplied with coffee.
4. Oil was first discovered in the country in 1938. Saudi Arabia is now responsible for more than 25 per cent of the world's oil production. It also grows one tenth of the world's date palms.
5. The Holy Mosque in Mecca was the first place of worship for Muslims. Non-Muslims are not allowed to visit although the British explorer, Richard Burton, went there in 1853, disguised as a Muslim.
6. Never use the “OK” hand signal in Saudi Arabia. The gesture is seen as an insult meaning "the evil eye".
7. In Saudi Arabia it is impolite to point the sole of the foot at the person to whom you are speaking.
8. It is also discourteous to ask about a man’s wife and daughters. One should ask after his "family and children".
9. The Saudi working week begins on Saturday and ends on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are the official days of rest.
10. It is not uncommon for Saudi Arabian men to walk hand-in-hand in public and is purely a sign of friendship.
