Coach Herve Renard said Saudi Arabia is in a "tough sprint" to reach the 2026 World Cup, but he is not expecting any favors from already qualified Japan on Tuesday.
The Saudis are in third place in Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying and trail second-place Australia by a point with three games remaining.
The top two teams advance directly to next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the third- and fourth-place sides go into another qualifying round.
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