RIYADH. May 4: (Reuters): Saudi Arabia are confident they can improve on their USA '94 showing

in the World Cup in France — but confidence has never been a problem with the Asian team.

Four years ago the Saudis arrived in the US brimming with self-belief, upset Morocco and Belgium and gave the Netherlands a fright on their way to the second round. With talk of "going all the way" the bubble burst as they lost to eventual semifinalists Sweden and went home disappointed.

Their 1994 star was Saeed Owairan. whose goal after a run the length of the pitch against Belgium was one of the highlights of the tournament.

This time round the Saudis are pinning their hopes on slimline striker Sami Al-Jaber and Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira the man who led Brazil to victory in the 1994.

The Saudis also have a superb goalkeeper in the athletic Mohammad Al-Deayea.

They may well need him in a testing Group C where they face France. Denmark and South Africa.

Saudi Arabia generally play a 4-4-2 formation, relying on the pacey Al-Jaber and prolific scorer Fahad Mehallel to provide the attacking punch.

Dashing midfielder Owairan returns to the squad after a one-year suspension but has yet to reach this form of old.

Parreira is fully aware that the 1994 performance was a double-edged sword, creating massive expectations this time around.

"Everyone goes crazy about the World Cup. people get obsessed." he admitted.

The Saudis entered qualifying bolstered by their 1996 Asian Cup win under Portuguese coach Eduardo Vinada.

However. Vingada was sacked during the second phase of qualifying for France in the

wake of a 1-0 defeat to China and replaced by German Otto Pfister.

The Saudis were impressive overall, topping their first round group with ease and seeing off Iran. China, Qatar and Kuwait to clinch their place in France by topping their second' round group.

In 14 matches they won nine and lost only two, with inspirational goalscorer Khalid Al-Muwallid. a veteran of USA '94. instrumental in their success.

Last December's Confederations' Cup performances were less convincing, however.

A 3-0 defeat by Brazil was

followed by a 5-0 thrashing by Mexico, and even a 1-0 win over Australia couldn't hide the fact that the Saudis, who were hosting that tournament, had plenty of work to do head of

All-round, the squad is stronger than in 1994. having benefited notably from the coaching skills of the experienced Pfister.

Saudi Arabia's traditionally jumpy soccer federation officials. worried about the team's inconsistency and its weak defence. nonetneless replaced the German coach with the more celebrated and experienced Par-

reira. who will be taking charge of his fourth different country in a World Cup finals this summer.

Saudi Arabia are one of the top teams in Asia and. along with fellow finalists Iran, are the only nation to win the Asian'Cup'three times:’ tut'oin

Yet unlike. Iran. Saudi's top players have not chosen to go abroad to play in stronger leagues.

The incentive to leave is not great. Saudi Arabia's soccer federation spares nothing in providing for its players and the country boasts some of the best soccer infrastructure in Asia.

It is not uncommon for national team players to be showered with lavish gifts after good performances. One Saudi prince reportedly presented each player a new Mercedes after the team qualified for the 1994 World Cup.

The major weakness is the defensive Une where much will depend on Ahmad Madani and Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi. The anchors who were generally disappointing in qualifying.

The goals also dried up in the latter part of the qualifying rounds, a worrying development going into a tournament boasting better-disciplined defences than they usually face.

Parreira will be hoping a May training camp in France and several high-quality friendly matches, including Mexico in Paris and England at Wembley, can ensure the team is ready for its World Cup run.