Former Dutch international and Coach of Indonesia, Patrick Kluivert has urged his players not to be intimidated by the hostile atmosphere at a sold-out King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah when they face hosts Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier Wednesday.
Indonesia are attempting to reach the World Cup for the first time since gaining independence from the Netherlands in 1949, and games against the Saudis on Wednesday and Iraq on Saturday will determine their fate.
Kluivert’s side open the fourth phase of Asia’s World Cup preliminaries against Herve Renard’s Saudi outfit knowing a first-place finish in the three-team group will secure an automatic berth at the finals in North America next year.
“I’m not afraid because if you’re afraid, you show your weakness,” said the former Barcelona and Netherlands striker. “If we show weaknesses, that gives the opponent strength.
“We know the power and the strength of Saudi Arabia, especially when they play at home, but we need to be focused. The mindset is the most important thing, to be calm in warm situations.”
Indonesia have already played Saudi Arabia twice in the previous round of Asia’s preliminaries — a 1-1 draw in Jeddah last September before winning 2-0 in Jakarta two months later.
Both of those results were achieved under former coach Shin Tae-yong, who Kluivert replaced in January.
The Dutchman has had a run of mixed results since taking over, losing heavily to World Cup qualifiers Japan and Australia while also securing wins over China and Bahrain to keep the country’s qualifying dream alive.
