Win for Saudi team would secure qualification for 2022 World Cup in Qatar TOKYO: Saudi Arabia national team coach Herve Renard has vowed not to underestimate Japan when the nations clash in Tuesday night’s crucial World Cup qualifier in Saitama, despite the home side’s occasional troubles during the campaign. Saudi Arabia leads qualifying Group B for this year’s World Cup in Qatar with 19 points from seven games, four points ahead of Japan and five ahead of Australia. Oman lies fourth with seven points, while China with five points are unlikely to qualify even for a play-off in third spot, and Vietnam are out of the running with no points. Only the top two can qualify automatically. A win for the Saudis will secure a spot at Qatar 2022 with two matches left to play. Saudi Arabia beat Japan 1-0 in their previous encounter in October, a result that put Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu under considerable pressure. But Renard pointed out that Japan should not be taken lightly. Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Tokyo, Renard said: “Japan ranks second in Asia in the FIFA rankings, and we have great respect for them. Japan is a very strong team, and it made the knockout tournament at the 2018 World Cup. The current situation may not reflect Japan’s true power. With that in mind, we must prepare for tomorrow’s game. It’s going to be a big game.” On the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has recently hit Japan hard, he added: “Fortunately, there is no problem with the team. We’ve taken great precautions to protect ourselves against infection. The coronavirus problem is not only in Tokyo, but everywhere in the world. “We are very lucky to be able to play in such a situation, especially this important game. It’s a shame that we can’t see anything in Tokyo this time, but we’d like to come back when things get better.” Meanwhile, Moriyasu, who has been criticized after a poor qualifying campaign, predicted his team would face considerable “pressure” from their Saudi rivals. He said: “I think Saudi Arabia is a very aggressive team that can put pressure on us. They defend solidly and have good variety in attack, so we have to try and outplay them in this area. “Saudi Arabia’s players are highly capable, and they are good individually and in link-up play, so we have to be aware of that.”