Indonesian media worried about World Cup qualifiers' "death group" and losing key players

(NLDO) - Indonesia has fallen into Group B of the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia with two strong opponents Saudi Arabia and Iraq, making the situation very difficult.

After the draw, Suara (Indonesia) newspaper worried: "The Indonesian team will once again face two giants of Asian football, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Each team has its own strengths but both are very formidable."

They further analyzed: "Iraq under coach Graham Arnold (former coach of the Australian national team) plays disciplined, fiercely and has abundant physical strength. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia plays pragmatically and is extremely difficult to defeat. This will be a real challenge for coach Patrick Kluivert and his team."

According to the rules, the top team in the fourth qualifying round will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The second-placed team will advance to the fifth qualifying round to compete for an intercontinental play-off spot.

Indonesia to play Saudi Arabia again on home turf

Suara newspaper emphasized that the Indonesian national team needs to carefully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In particular, Iraq is now playing with discipline and enthusiasm in the style of coach Graham Arnold, who attended the 2022 World Cup with Australia.

CNN Indonesia looked at Indonesia's match schedule and expressed concern: "On October 8, Indonesia will meet Saudi Arabia. Three days later, the team will face Iraq. All Group B matches will take place in Saudi Arabia. Each team will only play two matches and only the top two teams in the group will have a chance to attend the World Cup."

To add to the difficulties, Indonesia lost key striker Ole Romeny, who had scored three goals in four matches since his naturalization, accounting for one-third of the team's goals in the third qualifying round.

Previously, Romeny was injured in the match between Oxford United (First Division - EFL Championship, the division below the Premier League) and Arema FC - an Indonesian team. He was diagnosed with a broken foot and will most likely miss the 4th qualifying round.

Romeny (red shirt left) unlikely to return in the 4th qualifying round

Coach Kluivert admitted: "This is really a big loss for the Indonesian team. It is unlikely that Ole will recover in time to participate in round 4, but even if he returns, he will need time to regain his form. However, the team must continue to move forward and we have many other players ready to replace him."

With being in the "group of death" and lacking an important striker, the journey to conquer the World Cup dream of Southeast Asian football representative Indonesia is now more difficult than ever.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/truyen-thong-indonesia-lo-vi-bang-tu-than-vong-loai-world-cup-va-mat-tru-cot-19625071815195055.htm