Jun 2, 2006, 17:16 GMT
Bad Nauheim, Germany - World Cup outsider Saudi Arabia has a fair chance of reaching the quarter-finals, the squad`s Brazilian coach Marcos Paquetá said Friday.
The players are in top condition, he said, with only midfielders Mohammed Massad and Saad Al-Harthi as well as veteran goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Desyea requiring treatment for minor injuries.
``We`ve gained an enormous amount of self-confidence in our trial matches against some major opposition, despite suffering the odd defeat,`` said the 47-year-old.
``I`ve got plenty of confidence in our team, which has a lot of young players as well as experienced ones,`` Paqueta said at the squad`s training camp in Bad Nauheim.
The Saudis, who are playing in their fourth World Cup since 1994, face Tunisia in their Group H opening match in Munich on July 14. Other teams in the group are Ukraine and Spain.
The Saudis enjoyed their greatest World Cup success in the United States in 1994 when they advanced to the second round.
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