Arab Cup Bronze Clash: Renard and Kuzmin Shake Up Saudi and UAE Lineups

Saudi Arabia lineup changes for the Arab Cup third-place match

French coach Hervé Renard announced the Saudi lineup for the Arab Cup third-place clash against the United Arab Emirates. The two Gulf nations meet in Qatar to contest bronze after a tournament full of twists.

Renard tweaked his starting XI for the final game, making both defensive and strategic adjustments. In goal, Ragid Al-Najjar will start, replacing Nawaf Al-Aqidi who has started every match this tournament except the Morocco game, when Abdulrahman Al-Saibi wore the gloves.

The defense features Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat and Mohammad Suleiman alongside Abdulilah Al-Amri, with Nawaf Boshl completing the back line. Midfield includes Nasir Al-Dosri, Musab Al-Juwair and Abdullah Al-Hamdan, while the attack lines up with Salem Al-Dosari, Firas Al-Breikan and Saleh Al-Shehri. On the bench are Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Abdulrahman Al-Saibi, Hassan Tambakti, Ali Majrshi, Abdullah Al-Khibri, Abdulrahman Al-Abood and Saleh Abu Al-Shamat.

United Arab Emirates lineup revealed

For the UAE, coach Olario Kuzmin named a strong XI led by Hamad Al-Maqbali in goal. The back line features Robin Philip, Lucas Peimenta, Sasha Ivkovic and Markus Miloni, while Yahya Nader, Essam Faiyz and Yahya Al-Gasani control the midfield. Up front are Bruno Oliveira, Ali Saleh and Sultan Adel, with a bench that includes Ali Khasif, Adel Al-Hosani, Khalid Al-Dhanhani, Kwame Kwido, Richard O’Connor, Majed Rashid, Mohammed Juma, Luan Pereira, Nicolas Jimenez and Kai Lucas.

The two lineups reflect Renard's and Kuzmin's plans to balance defense with attacking options as they bid to finish the tournament on a high note in Qatar.

Punchlines: If football were a sniper's joke, Renard would file the defense under misdirection.

Punchlines: If substitutions were a comedy show, this bronze match would be its season finale.