The match between four-times qualifiers Saudi Arabia and heavyweights Iran is the pick of Saturday's opening matches for the Asian groups. Iranian coach Ali Daei said he had a decent squad capable of going all the way. "The current group of players are the best in Iranian football, they are highly motivated, ambitious, and their only aim is the success of the national team," he told reporters. "Saudi Arabia is our traditional opponent, with good players and team composition, but we have prepared ourselves well for this encounter."

Daei has five European-based players at his disposal: Vahid Hashemian, Ferydoon Zandi, Masoud Shojaei, Javad Nekounam and Andranik Teymourian.

The match will be on Saturday, September 6th in Riyadh at 3:15PM Eastern time or 12:15PM Pacific time.

Update: Iran tied 1-1 with a late goal from Javad Nekounam in the 82nd minute.

Source: FIFA