A turbulent nine-month spell since they secured FIFA World Cup qualification in September saw Saudi Arabia part ways with Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk, appoint former UAE boss Edgardo Bauza, only to dismiss him only two month later and bring Juan Antonio Pizzi.

Pizzi has since gone on to establish a new tactical identity for the team; one that emphasises the value of pressing high up the pitch and retaining possession for extended period. Whether the six months period since he effectively took over is enough for the players to fully adapt to his ways is arguably the biggest question for the Green Falcons ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Argentine Pizzi named the 23-man squad shortly after Saudi Arabia fell to a 3-0 defeat to Peru in a friendly in St. Gallen, Switzerland on Sunday and Al Abed missing out wasn't a big surprise as the Al Hilal player was coming off a season blighted by injuries.

Al Abed came on as a substitute against Peru but Pizzi obviously must have felt that taking him to Russia would be risky.

His absence, however, will be a blow as Al Abed scored four goals in Saudi Arabia's qualifying campaign - a haul that helped seal a return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since the 2016 edition.

It was the only goal in Saudi Arabia's 1-0 qualifying win against Japan but it was enough to secure the side a place in the Finals for the first time in 12 years. 

It was a heady moment for the 23-year-old, originally a substitute, who was feted as a national hero at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. 

Since then the Al-Ittihad midfielder, who grew up in the port city of Jeddah, has emerged as one of the kingdom's brightest young talents, and was among key players sent off to Spain to hone their skills for the second half of this season.

Saudi Arabia made their World Cup bow in 1994 in the United States, and have only missed out on two editions since then, namely South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014. Here are the top three highlights of their four World Cup campaigns.

Nevertheless, with Son Heung-min – arguably Asia's finest footballer currently playing – and several other young attacking talents in the ranks, the Taeguk Warriors have the potential to excite.

Overview

Set for their ninth consecutive FIFA World Cup, Korea Republic have had a number of pre-Russia 2018 warm-up matches over the last six months with a wide variety of opponents and a series of mixed results. Wins over Moldova, Latvia and Honduras; a draw with Jamaica; losses to Northern Ireland, Poland and Bosnia and Herezegovina.

At the time of writing, Shin Tae-yong's side are yet to face Bolivia and Senegal in their final ties before they kick off their World Cup campaign against Sweden on June 18, but it seems the side are yet to settle on a line-up with a 3-5-2 formation the latest experiment in the defeat to Bosnia.

Overview

With three of their six planned pre-World Cup friendlies cancelled, IR Iran’s preparations have been less than ideal. But with an abundance of talent across the squad, Queiroz will still be confident of a strong showing in Russia.

Drawn in the so-called “Group of Death” alongside the last two European champions; Spain and Portugal as well as Morocco, many believe Team Melli have their work cut out for them.

However, a defence that conceded just five goals in their 18 qualifiers’ games and an attack line boasting some of the continent’s finest forwards could cause upsets if the Portuguese coach gets his tactics right.

The FIFA World Cup is without a doubt the grandest stage in world football, and it comes as no surprise that a strong showing at just one tournament could massively shape a player's career in the years to come. As such, here are a number of players that could possibly propel themselves into the spotlight when the tournament kicks off in just over two weeks' time.