World Cup 2022: Injured Saudi Arabia captain Salman Al-Faraj included in squad
- Published
Saudi Arabia beat Japan and Australia to top their Asian qualifying group
Saudi Arabia captain Salman Al-Faraj has been named in their 26-man World Cup squad despite being injured in a 1-0 friendly win over Iceland on Sunday.
Head coach Herve Renard said the Al-Hilal midfielder was still suffering with pain in his shoulder but should be fit for the tournament.
"We were scared when he fell down and was not able to continue but it will be OK in a few days, " said Renard.
Saudi Arabia are in Group C alongside Argentina, Mexico and Poland.
Their first game is against Argentina on 22 November.
Saudi Arabia qualified for the Qatar World Cup by finishing top of their Asian qualifying group, which included Japan, Australia, China, Oman and Vietnam.
Their qualifying campaign included notable victories at home to Japan and Australia, while they also drew against the Socceroos in Sydney.
They have reached the World Cup finals on five previous occasions. The Saudis' best performance was at their first finals in 1998, when they reached the last 16.
Saudi Arabia squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal), Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Yami (Al-Ahly)
Defenders: Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Madu (Al-Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabab), Sultan Al-Ghanam (Al-Nassr), Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal)
Midfielders: Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Riyadh Sharahili (Abha), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal), Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal), Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Ittihad), Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab)
Forwards: Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al-Shabab), Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal) Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh)
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