Your guide to Middle East teams at the 2018 World Cup

SAUDI ARABIA

Nickname: The Green Falcons

Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi

Star: Mohamed Al-Sahlawy

Arriving to Russia as: One of the tournament's minnows

Expectations: Gaining a respectable result in at least one match.
Saudi football fans will never forget the 2017/2018 season, and for a variety of good reasons.

In this historic year, the ultra-conservative country held its first football matches in front of female fans, a delegation of 10 Saudi internationals were signed to Spanish teams in an outrageous deal and the national team managed to qualify for the World Cup - despite getting through three coaches in one year.

The Saudis started their World Cup qualification campaign with the Dutch coach Brett Van Marwijk, who was sacked and replaced by Edgardo Bauza. Bauza himself was sacked after only three months, and was replaced by Juan Antonio Pizzi, the current coach.

The man behind everything is one of the leading figures in Middle Eastern football - Turki Al-Shekih, the Saudi Football Association President, and the brains behind the Spanish deal which saw 10 Saudi players head for one of the most competitive leagues in Europe in order to gain valuable match and training experience.

He had probably hoped for a different result. While Fahd al-Muwallad and Salem al-Dawsri have had some game time at Levante and Villareal respectively, none of the other players involved in the deal have had the opportunity to test their skills at a European level.

The deal has turned somewhat problematic, as the national team's most promising stars are arriving at the World Cup having only played a few minutes of professional football in the past four months.

The Saudis are a big name in Asian football and were the first West Asian squad to qualify, though they arrive at this World Cup as one of the tournament's minnows. The betting agencies are ranking the Green Falcons the joint weakest team in the tournament, alongside Panama.

Saudi Arabia have got no real expectations from the tournament - their fifth - except putting on a respectable display, and not embarassing themselves too much in the Arab derby against Egypt, on Monday 25 June.

Full squad:

Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al Owais (Al Ahli), Yasser Al Mosailem (Al Ahli), Abdullah Al Mayouf (Al Hilal).

Defenders: Mansoor Al Harbi (Al Ahli), Yasser Al Shahrani (Al Hilal) Mohammed Al Breik (Al Hilal), Motaz Hawsawi (Al Ahli), Osama Hawsawi (Al Hilal), Omar Hawsawi (Al Nassr), Ali Al Bulaihi (Al Hilal).

Midfielders: Abdullah Al Khaibari (Al Shabab), Abdulmalek Al Khaibri (Al Hilal), Abdullah Otayf (Al Hilal), Taiseer Al Jassim (Al Ahli), Houssain Al Mogahwi (Al Ahli), Salman Al Faraj, Mohamed Kanno (both Al Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al Shabab), Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal), Yahya Al Shehri (Al Nassr), Fahad Al Muwallad (Al Ittihad).

Forwards: Mohammad Al Sahlawi (Al Nassr), Muhannad Assiri (Al Ahli).