A Crucial Period for the Garuda Team

In preparation for the two matches of the fourth round of qualifications, the "Garuda" squad is undergoing a trial match at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, East Java, against Taiwan on Friday (5/9/2025), and Lebanon on Monday (8/9/2025). Initially, Kuwait was considered a suitable representative of the potential opponent for the trial match, but this country has withdrawn.

For Coach Patrick Kluivert, both matches are very important to further refine his squad. In the fourth round, Indonesia is in Group B with a schedule to face the host Saudi Arabia on October 8, 2025, followed by a duel against Iraq on October 11, 2025. The upcoming month will be a crucial period for the Garuda team.

Despite a significant victory in the first friendly match against Taiwan, there are still many aspects that need improvement if Indonesia wishes to compete against Saudi Arabia and Iraq. One of the most prominent weaknesses lies in the effectiveness of the attacking line.

The six goals scored against Taiwan came from 23 shots fired by Rizky Ridho and his teammates. Indonesia only managed five shots on target, with one of those goals being an own goal by a Taiwanese player. Based on these shots on target, the Indonesian players' shooting accuracy was only 26 percent (Kompas.id, 6/9/2025).

The record does show an improvement compared to the average shooting accuracy of 14 percent during the third round of qualifications. However, it is important to note that Taiwan is not a comparable opponent, as their FIFA ranking is significantly lower than Indonesia's, especially when compared to potential opponents in the fourth round.

The Garuda squad is ranked 118th, while Taiwan is ranked 172nd. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia occupies the 59th position and Iraq is one rank above it.

Indonesian players are still lacking in delivering progressive passes. Although they dominated the game with 607 successful passes, only 25 percent or 154 of them were created in the final defensive zone of Taiwan.

A worthy opponent will be faced by Indonesia in the second friendly match. The performance against Lebanon, which is ranked six places above Indonesia, will better reflect the true capabilities of the Garuda squad in facing potential opponents from the Middle East. Various notes that arise from these two friendly matches will become homework that must be addressed by Kluivert and his staff.

Indonesia must win both fourth-round matches to secure an automatic berth in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. If they fail, the Garuda team will face a home-and-away match against the Group A runner-up for a spot in the interconfederation playoffs. Or, worse yet, their World Cup dream will be over.