Saudi national team footballers continue their preparations for Asian Cup as they play Mali in a friendly match

The Saudi national team's football players will play a friendly match against Mali on Tuesday as part of their ongoing Asian Cup preparations. In their third match under new Italian manager Roberto Mancini, who was introduced as head coach in August, the Green Falcons go to Portugal to face the African team.

On Monday, Mancini oversaw the players' workouts. Following his injury recovery, Salman Al-Faraj resumed training, although Hassan Al-Tambakti and Zakaria Al-Hawsawi remain out. The two teams' most recent meeting ended in a 1-1 tie in 2019.

The Kingdom's players will play Jordan in a November World Cup qualifier after their match against Mali. After that, the Green Falcons, led by their seasoned Italian coach, will head to Qatar for the 2023 Asian Cup, where they will try to win the tournament.

Group F includes Oman, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan, whom they will face first on January 16, 2024.