Al Nahda, Dhofar shift gears as HM Cup showdown nears
Published: 05:05 PM,May 07,2024 | EDITED : 09:05 PM,May 07,2024
Al Nahda team
MUSCAT: Salalah giants Dhofar and defending champions Al Nahda are undergoing comprehensive training sessions ahead of the 2023-2024 HM Cup final showdown at Khasab Sports Complex on Friday. The match will kick off at 7:30 pm under the auspices of Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidy, Governor of Musandam, in presence of top dignitaries and officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth besides attendance of Salim bin Said al Wahaibi, Chairman of the Oman Football Association.
Al Nahda players arrived on Tuesday in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, for a short abroad camp prior the final of the coveted cup. The runners up of West Asian Zone AFC Cup will chase their second successive title after they had blanked Seeb 1-0 in the final in March 2023. Al Nahda, under the supervision of experienced head coach Hamed al Azani, will finalise their starting line-up after final practice sessions.
Recently, Al Nahda ended their match in the domestic league with a 1-1 draw against Al Rustaq while they missed the chance to progress into the final of AFC Cup after they had ended the match against Lebanon’s Al Ahed 2-2 in the second leg while the first leg match ended in favour of the Lebanese side by 1-0.
Al Azani is experienced enough to deal with the final and he has the key players who can be depended upon in this crucial match including: goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Ahmed al Kaabi, Nasser al Shamali, Harib al Saadi, Salah al Yahyaee, Antres G, Walter Bwalya among the rest.
On the other side, 10-time winners Dhofar will eye the record by reaching to the 11th title. Dhofar players would like to rekindle their memories as HM Cup champions as the last title won by the team was in 2020-2021 season.
Dhofar is one of the leading experienced domestic clubs in the final as they have the experience on how to end the thrilling final match. Despite the negative results of Dhofar in the local league as they suffered defeats recently against Al Nasr, Ibri and Oman Clubs, they will look to this event as a good chance for the team to end their season with a title.
They are positioned currently in the 10th place with 20 points in Omantel League. Dhofar have many former national football team players including Qasim Said, Abdulsalam Amer, Mazin al Kasbi, Abdullah Nouh besides other new youth faces in the squad.
Al Nahda players arrived on Tuesday in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, for a short abroad camp prior the final of the coveted cup. The runners up of West Asian Zone AFC Cup will chase their second successive title after they had blanked Seeb 1-0 in the final in March 2023. Al Nahda, under the supervision of experienced head coach Hamed al Azani, will finalise their starting line-up after final practice sessions.
Recently, Al Nahda ended their match in the domestic league with a 1-1 draw against Al Rustaq while they missed the chance to progress into the final of AFC Cup after they had ended the match against Lebanon’s Al Ahed 2-2 in the second leg while the first leg match ended in favour of the Lebanese side by 1-0.
Al Azani is experienced enough to deal with the final and he has the key players who can be depended upon in this crucial match including: goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Ahmed al Kaabi, Nasser al Shamali, Harib al Saadi, Salah al Yahyaee, Antres G, Walter Bwalya among the rest.
On the other side, 10-time winners Dhofar will eye the record by reaching to the 11th title. Dhofar players would like to rekindle their memories as HM Cup champions as the last title won by the team was in 2020-2021 season.
Dhofar is one of the leading experienced domestic clubs in the final as they have the experience on how to end the thrilling final match. Despite the negative results of Dhofar in the local league as they suffered defeats recently against Al Nasr, Ibri and Oman Clubs, they will look to this event as a good chance for the team to end their season with a title.
They are positioned currently in the 10th place with 20 points in Omantel League. Dhofar have many former national football team players including Qasim Said, Abdulsalam Amer, Mazin al Kasbi, Abdullah Nouh besides other new youth faces in the squad.