The United States Men’s National Team head to Spain on Tuesday for a friendly clash with Saudi Arabia.
Gregg Berhalter’s side have just one final match remaining in preparation for their return to the World Cup in November. The Stars and Stripes will be looking for a massive improvement on the disjointed performance they put in during a 2-0 defeat to Japan in Dusseldorf on Friday.
Though only a friendly, many American players will be using this match as a chance to work their way into Berhalter’s starting XI, while others will be making a late bid to get on the plane to Qatar.
Here’s what you need to know before Friday’s game.
USMNT vs Saudi Arabia H2H results
Current Form (Last Five Games)
USMNT team news
Chris Richards and Cameron Carter-Vickers have been forced to withdraw through injury, with Mark McKenzie and Erik Palmer-Brown replacing them on the roster.
Fellow defender Reggie Cannon will miss this match after picking up a knock against Japan.
Christian Pulisic pulled out of the Japan match at the final moment but has trained since arriving in Spain. He could be among a number of players to come into the starting XI as Berhalter experiments following a poor performance on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia team news
Awad Al-Nashri and Ahmed Bamsaud will likely feature against the United States after sitting out the draw with Ecuador.
Saudi Arabia have a fully roster to choose from having avoided any injuries on Friday.
Like all international friendlies, this match will likely be a slow affair with both head coaches making plenty of changes and experimenting with different players.
That said, the United States will have a serious point to prove after their terrible showing against Japan.
Couple that with players such as Joe Scally, Ricardo Pepi, and Kellyn Acosta likely coming into the starting XI and aiming to impress Berhalter, and we should see a comfortable win for the USMNT.
Prediction: USMNT 2-0 Saudi Arabia
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