Lens Delivers a Jolt to Saud Abdul-Hamid Ahead of the Monaco Clash
7 November 2025
Lens Deliver a Jolt to Saud Abdul-Hamid Ahead of the International Break
Lens, the French club, delivered a sharp jolt to Saud Abdul-Hamid ahead of joining the Saudi national team's camp in Jeddah during the upcoming international window in November. Coach Pierre Sag unveiled the initial squad set to face Monaco on Saturday, in the twelfth round of Ligue 1, naming 21 players.
Absent Again: A Saudi Defender on the Bench
The squad list showed the Saudi defender's absence, with no reports of injury during the recent spell. This marks the first time he hasn't been called up since arriving at Lens from Roma in the summer transfer window.
Since his arrival, Lens have played 11 Ligue 1 fixtures, with Abdul-Hamid not missing a minute in all but two, often sitting on the bench.
Conversely, the former Al-Hilal defender has appeared in 9 Ligue 1 matches for Lens, one as a starter and eight as a substitute, totaling 195 minutes.
During those matches, he did not score, but he did register one assist in a 3-1 win over Brest on August 29.
The only starting appearance came on Oct 29 last year, when he played as a right winger, and Lens lost 2-0 to Metz.
Call-Ups and the Road Ahead
This exclusion came in the last game before the international break as Saud is set to join the Saudi national team.
He is expected to reach the camp in Jeddah the day after tomorrow, Sunday, according to reports, along with Marwan Al-Sahafi of Royal Antwerp after their club fixtures.
He will join the Saudi squad for the second straight window, having been called up in October last year.
Renard named 27 players for the window, led by Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Hassan Tambakti, Salem Al-Dosari, and Faras Al-Breikan, along with several youngsters.
The coach also replaced Saad Al-Mousa with Walid Al-Ahmad, who was sidelined by an ankle fracture, and Sultan Mandesh in place of Ayman Yahya, who has a muscular injury; Murad Hossawi was called over Ali Al-Hassan for tactical reasons.
Saudi Squad and the Road to Qatar 2025 and Beyond
The full Saudi squad list included Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Abdulrahman Al-Sanabi, Mohammed Al-Yami, Ragid Najjar, Muteb Al-Harbi, Jihad Dhakri, Abdulilah Al-Omari, Walid Al-Ahmad, Hassan Tambakti, Ali Mogharshi, Saud Abdul-Hamid, Nawaf Bashl, Mohammed Suleiman, Nasser Al-Dosri, Murad Hossawi, Ziad Al-Juhani, Mohammed Kanoo, Abdulrahman Al-Khibri, Salem Al-Dosari, Masab Al-Juwair, Sultan Mandsh, Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Saleh Al-Shehri, Faris Al-Breikan.
The coach also added additional names to complete the 27-man squad and later named the players who would travel to Jeddah to begin preparations.
Saudi will play two friendlies in Jeddah, first against Ivory Coast on Friday November 14 at the Al-Inma Stadium and second against Algeria on Tuesday November 18 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
These matches are a stern test for the Green Falcons ahead of the 2025 Arab Cup in Qatar and the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, for which Saudi qualified recently via the Asian play-off in Jeddah.
Saudi topped Group A in the Asian qualifiers after beating Indonesia 3-2 and drawing with Iraq, sealing first place by goal difference; Iraq progressed to the global playoff. Previously, the Green Falcons had finished third behind Japan and Australia, awaiting a tougher route to the finals.
The preparation plan was adjusted, with Renard ordering the camp move from Dammam to Jeddah due to winter farming works on several Damman pitches, according to Saudi outlets.
Punchline 1: If minutes on the bench were money, Saud could retire rich and famous from being a professional seat-warmer.
Punchline 2: He may not start yet, but give him time—in football, even a cameo can become a starring role, if the headlines are kind and the coffee is strong.
