Vietnam tough opponent with home advantage: Saudi Arabia coach

"We really respect Vietnam. They are not easy to play in their home stadium My Dinh. This is a team of many talented players. We will have to focus to reach our goal," Renard said in the pre-match press conference Monday.

Saudi Arabia top group B with 13 points after five games although they are considered weaker than Japan or Australia.

"This is a challenging group. Every game is difficult. What we need to do is maintain our determination. We have been able to do that after five games. Our goal is to qualify for World Cup. We will concentrate at the highest level to achieve that target," he added.

Both Vietnam and Saudi Arabia will miss some key players due to injuries, but Renard didn’t see that as a problem.

"Of course it would be nice if we don’t lose any players. But Saudi Arabia still have many other quality players. I feel great with this team," Renard said.

The members of Saudi Arabia arrived in Hanoi on Friday and had two training sessions.

In September, Vietnam faced Saudi Arabia in the first leg and lost 1-3, although Nguyen Quang Hai opened the score early for the Golden Dragons.

The match will take place in My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi at 7 p.m. and will be reported live on VnExpress International.