Who fills Yahya's gap? 3 bold options for Saudi before Palestine showdown

Alternatives to cover Yahya’s absence

The Saudi national team faces a serious issue at left-back ahead of the Palestine match, scheduled for Thursday evening, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Arab Cup in Qatar.

Saudi Arabia announced a knee injury to Ayman Yahya, ruling him out of the training session held on Tuesday.

Although Saudi's medical team hasn't disclosed the injury's severity for the Al-Nassr player, his absence from the Palestine game became almost certain, especially as coach Herve Renard does not want to gamble with his players.

Yahya’s absence sets up a setback for Saudi, as Palestine brings physical intensity, yet Renard can lean on three trusted alternatives to cover the gap and keep the attack balanced from the left flank tonight.

The first option is to deploy Nawaf Boshl on the left flank, a position he has manned since last season with Al-Nassr, and he has also featured there for the Green.

And beyond that, the option of using central defender Mohammad Bakr, who looked ideal in that role with Al-Ahli Jeddah, plus the possibility of counting on Nasser Al-Dosari, who has thrived there with Al-Hilal.

Moreover, Renard himself has used him in this role on several occasions, making it an ideal option if the French coach chooses to start by pressuring Palestine.

Generally, the Saudis suffer a clear shortage in this position, especially after Meteb Al-Harbi, the left-back for Al-Hilal, was injured before the Arab Cup.

Notably, the Falcons finished the group stage in second place after a 1-0 loss to Morocco.

Punchline 1: If football had a left-back lottery, Saudi would still be picking numbers while the ball’s already in the net. Close one!

Punchline 2: And remember, a good left-back is like Wi-Fi—you never notice him until he drops the signal.