Shin Tae-yong Is Not Afraid To Face Saudi Arabia Despite Roberto Mancini's Carpentry

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team will meet Saudi Arabia in the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification. This moment will be an opportunity for Shin Tae-yong to meet Roberto Mancini, who is now the coach of Saudi Arabia.

Meeting with world-class coaches like Mancini, Shin Tae-yong admitted that he really appreciated the performance of the Italian coach. He did not even hesitate to mention that Mancini was one of the best coaches in the world.

"(Roberto) Mancini is indeed the best (one) coach. Moreover, under his auspices, Saudi Arabia invested a lot," said Shin Tae-yong after leading the team's final training session, quoted on Monday, September 2, 2024.

Even though he will face Saudi Arabia, which is under the tutelage of Mancini, Shin Tae-yong is also not afraid. The South Korean coach remains optimistic about the ability of the Garuda Squad.

Shin Tae-yong said anything could happen on the field. Therefore, he asked the Garuda Squad to prepare themselves as well as possible in facing a strong team with a coach as great as Mancini.

"Their team (Saudi Arabia) is good, but the ball is round. Therefore, our preparations must be more focused and better," said Shin Tae-yong.

"Certainly no one will know what the results will be and until the end of the match we have to work harder to get good results, especially since this is an away match," he said again.

The Indonesian and Saudi Arabia national teams will clash in the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualification Third Round match. The match will be held at King Abdullah Stadium, Jeddah, on Friday, September 6, 2024, early morning WIB.

After the away match against Saudi Arabia, the Indonesian national team will immediately play a home match against Australia. The duel is planned to be held at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 19.00 WIB.