Yemen vs Saudi Arabia Prediction and Betting Tips | 25th December 2024
Yemen and Saudi Arabia clash at the Jaber International Stadium in Kuwait on Wednesday at the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup. Both sides lost their respective opening games and will be looking to get their campaign up and running on matchday two.
Ranked 158th in the world, Al-Yaman as-Sa'eed were beaten 1-0 by Iraq last week, courtesy of a 64th-minute strike from Ayman Hussein. They aimed to frustrate their rivals but were ultimately beaten at the back late on in the game.
Having never progressed beyond the group stages of the Gulf Cup in their 10 previous appearances, Yemen will have to up the ante or risk facing the same fate again.
Meanwhile, Saudi also flattered to deceive on matchday one, going down 3-2 to Bahrain. Mahdi Abduljabbar and Mahdi Al-Humaidan put the Pearl Divers 2-0 up in the opening stanza before Musab Al-Juwayr pulled one back for the Greens.
Mohamed Marhoon restored Bahrain's two-goal advantage soon after, but Saleh Al-Shehri made it 3-2 from the penalty spot in the closing stages of normal time. It was Saudi's second loss in three games in all competitions, a concerning statistic for a side that have hopes of going far in the cup.
Yemen vs Saudi Arabia Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 18 clashes between the sides in the past, with Saudi going unbeaten in all of them, winning 16 times.
- The only two occasions when Yemen managed to avoid a loss against their neighbor were in December 2002 (2-2 draw at the FIFA Arab Cup) and September 2019 (2-2 draw at the FIFA World Cup qualifiers).
- Yemen have failed to score in 11 of their last 12 games against Saudi Arabia.
- In the Gulf Cup, their last encounter came in January 2023 when the Greens pulled off a 2-0 win.
- In eight official games this year, Al-Yaman as-Sa'eed have won just once: a 2-0 friendly win over Sri Lanka.
Yemen vs Saudi Arabia Prediction
The Greens are the favorites on paper, given their incredible head-to-head record in the fixture. They possess some really good options in the attack that are capable of hurting their struggling rivals, who are likely to succumb to a second consecutive loss in the cup.
Prediction: Yemen 0-2 Saudi Arabia
Yemen vs Saudi Arabia Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Saudi Arabia to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
