JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain face the moment of truth when they clash in the second leg of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifying playoff match at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The winner in the 10:30 p.m. match meets Oceania champion New Zealand in another playoff for a spot in the World Cup finals next year in South Africa.

Both teams drew the first leg 0-0 in Bahrain last Saturday in a very exciting match that Bahrain dominated and almost won were it not for the gallant display by the Saudi goalkeeper.

The Saudis have the home-field advantage but they will be under intense pressure to deliver victory in front of an expected large Saudi crowd.

If they have their way local football pundits want Saudi coach Portuguese Jose Peseiro to adopt the aggressive style of play in a do-or-die situation such as this. They want Tayseer Al-Jasim to start in the match because he has the ability to attack and make goals.

Bahrain coach Milan Macala was understandably piqued at the end of Saturday’s match.

“I’m not sure if we won a point from this match or lost two. We had so many chances but could not convert a single one. We now have an uphill task,” the 65-year-old Czech Republic veteran admitted in the post match press conference.

But Bahrain team manager Hassan Khalfan painted a bright picture on the eve of the team’s departure to Riyadh..

“Everything with the team is fine. We have no injury worries and are confident of moving to the next stage. Everybody is positive and we are working hard to get ready the best way we can,” said Khalfan ahead of making the short trip on Tuesday evening.

Peseiro admits his team holds a slight advantage but is not willing to take any chances. “The score is still zero-zero. We could have used a goal (in the first-leg) but it was a very tough match. Sure, we believe it is good we will be playing at home next, but still we need to play,” said the Portugal tactician through a translator.

Saudi Arabia is looking for its fifth consecutive spot in the World Cup finals and is already smarting from the ignominy of having to play in the playoffs after having lost an automatic berth to North Korea.

The three other Asian teams having already booked their tickets to South Africa are Australia, Japan and South Korea. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are vying for a fifth possible spot for Asia.

A draw on Wednesday night with at least one goal scored by each side will send Bahrain through based on the away goals rule. Another goalless draw will send the match into a 30-minute extra-time to be followed by a penalty shootout while a victory by any margin will clear the way for Saudi Arabia.

Four years ago, Bahrain had cleared the hurdle (the final Asian playoff) it is presently facing and is only 90 minutes away from a place in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany.

They went into the second-leg of the inter-continental playoff holding an away goal advantage after having drawn 1-1 against Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean but ended up losing out. That was the closest Bahrain has come to achieving its long-cherished dream of making its debut in the World Cup finals. Now it is away to Saudi Arabia and has a mountain to climb given that the hosts will be on familiar territory and in a stadium that can accommodate over 71,000 soccer-crazy fans.

— With additional input from agencies