This is Vietnam's first time in the final round of World Cup qualifiers, while Saudi Arabia have been playing at the World Cup five times before.
Both teams have shown impressive performances in the second qualifying round. Vietnam won five, drew two and only lost one game, peaked second in their group and advanced. With six victories and two draws, Saudi Arabia went into the final round as the leader of their group.
The most recent encounters between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia were in the World Cup 2002 qualifiers. Vietnam lost 0-4 in the first leg and 0-5 in the second. However, 19 years later, the gap in levels between the two teams has been shortened.
Besides playing on Saudi Arabia's home ground, Vietnam faced another disadvantage, missing some key players due to injuries.