Oman take on Qatar in crunch match

Muscat: Oman national football team will lock horns with the Asian Cup champions Qatar, in the joint qualification of Fifa World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 Group E fourth-round match in Doha on Tuesday. 'The players' morale is high and we will give everything we have, especially since we are playing against the Asian champions,' said national team captain Ahmed Kanoo. 'We have won 6 points and this is a strong incentive for us to do the best, and we are ready for the match,' he said at the press conference. Al Janoub Stadium, one of the stadiums that hosts Fifa World Cup 2022 matches, will be the venue for the match. The match will kick off at 8:30 pm (Oman timing). In another fixture at the Group E, India will take on Bangladesh. Today’s match is an important match between the two top-ranked teams of the Group E. The ‘Red Warriors’ will look for their third consecutive win and improve points tally to nine, while hosts Qatar will aim to consolidate their top spot with a win and reach 10 points. Qatar need a win after India held them to a goalless draw in Doha in their last match at home. Qatar played three matches and registered two wins against Afghanistan and Bangladesh while they played out a goalless draw against India. The Sultanate team has a clean sheet with two wins from two matches as they beat India and Afghanistan. Erwin Koeman’s boys are geared up for the crucial match as they had three evening practice sessions and two morning sessions after they arrived in Dhoa on Saturday afternoon. The national team completed their final warm-up for the match on Monday as the head coach and his assistants implemented different physical and tactical training during the practice sessions. GOOD RECORD Back to the history, the national team played many games against Qatar. During the last seven games, the Red Warriors did not suffer any loss against Qatar. Oman team registered six victories while one match ended in a draw. The Dutchman will depend on his experience players in this match including Ahmed Mubarak Kanu, Mohammed al Musallami, Ali al Busaidi, Abdulaziz al Maqbali, Raed Ibrahim and the other members. The technical staff of the national team have been working on to prepare players to utilise the good scoring opportunities during the match. Either a win or draw will be good for Oman in the tough away game against Qatar. Oman have played one match less compared to Qatar at this stage of the qualifiers. Chinese referees will officiate the match. Fu Wang will be the main referee, while Heo Meng and Wang Degen will be assistant referees.