Iraq and Saudi Arabia face off in the biggest game of the AFC Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers.
Both teams are the heavy favorites to win Group C of the qualifiers and are expected to qualify for the tournament as the first and second teams in the group standings.
Saudi Arabia opened its tournament with a 2-1 win over China PR before taking down Indonesia 2-1 on the road. Meanwhile, Iraq took down Indonesia in its opener but lost 1-0 against China PR in the ensuing game.
The two teams have met 28 times in soccer history. Iraq has managed 15 victories while Saudi Arabia has only won seven. The two sides have drawn the remaining six. Twenty-three of the games have been competitive matches, but the last four, dating back to 2009, have been friendlies. Moreover, Iraq has been the top side in recent times with three straight wins and victories in four of the last five games dating back to 2007; the other game was a 0-0 draw. Iraq has not conceded a single goal against Saudi Arabia in that five-game span either. Since 2004, the two teams have faced off a total of 10 times with Iraq managing seven wins, one loss, and two draws. Saudi Arabia's longest winning streak against Iraq came between 1996 and 2001 when the team won three straight games.
Prediction: Iraq wins 1-0.
Start Time: Kick-off gets underway at 11:30 a.m. EST
The match will not be broadcast in the United States or online.
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