Saudi Arabia's coach Donis encourages his team to attack Uruguay in World Cup opener

Given that European champions Spain and Cape Verde also feature in Group H, the Saudis could be excused for playing it safe to avoid defeat, thereby boosting their prospects of reaching the knockout stage, at minimum as one of eight third-placed teams.

Donis, while acknowledging that this could be Saudi Arabia's most crucial group match, stated that such an approach contradicted the philosophy he had been instilling in the team and that the Green Falcons would play to win.

"We are prepared to press our opponents. We are prepared to play organised defence. We are prepared to counterattack. We are also prepared to create chances," he told a press conference on Sunday.

"We cannot predict how the match will develop, but we are not shaping a team that will adopt a passive role and just wait for the opponent to react. We are building a team that will play with confidence."

Defying the odds again

The Saudis famously caused one of the greatest World Cup upsets when they defeated Argentina at the 2022 tournament, while wins over Morocco and Belgium took them to the first knockout round the last time the United States hosted in 1994.

Donis said it was important for the Saudi players to respect the great moments of the past, but he believes the more recent arrivals in the Saudi Pro League of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema could be more significant when they come up against players such as Federico Valverde on Monday.

"Our players are accustomed to having great stars as teammates or opponents," he said. "They either train with them or face them in matches. That is a major advantage for my players, because while they respect all opponents, none of this is unfamiliar to them."

Donis, who has coached four Saudi clubs over the past 10 years, said he would have liked more than seven weeks to prepare the team after taking over from Herve Renard, but was confident that the players had adopted his philosophy of courage and a distinct identity.

"Everything happened very quickly," he said. "Certainly, I had the advantage of knowing the players, but it is very different to know them as an opponent rather than as their coach."The time we have trained together is very limited. However, the players, through their conduct, have also given me confidence. Beyond faith in the philosophy that I believe in, I expect us to be very competitive."