MUSCAT, JUNE 5
Oman will aim for registering their fourth triumph to seal spot for the next stage of the Preliminary Joint Qualification of the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 as they will take on Chinese Taipei in the penultimate match of Group D on Thursday at the Taipei Municipal Stadium. The match will kick off at 3:00 pm (Oman Time).
The Jaroslav Silhavy-coached side will look for a win that will ensure reaching to 12 points in the group ahead of the forthcoming’s crucial tie against Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday in Muscat. The group topper Kyrgyzstan will take on Malaysia in a home match at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek on Thursday. The triumph in Thursday's assignment will mean Oman will book their slot in AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
Silhavy sounded confident in the press conference on Wednesday ahead of the match that the team is looking forward for this crunch game to register a positive result. “We have observed Chinese Taipei in several matches and we respect them as a team. I can understand the difficulty of the match but our focus is to continue registering victories,” he said.
The 62-year-old affirmed that the team is in best shape for the encounter. “The team is currently in good position after recent wins and we would like to run in this victorious path. This is a crucial match but we should not forget the upcoming crucial game against Kyrgyzstan which is expected to be very tight,” the Czech coach added.
“I hope the weather will be perfect tomorrow and all the circumstances will encourage to show top game. We are fully focused on today’s match,” he said.
Oman captain Harib al Saadi said that the match against Chinese Taipei will be an important game. “Our target is to win the match and proceed in the qualifiers campaign to the next stage. It is expected not to be an easy game and we are responsible to show top game to claim a win,” he added.
The team completed all their tactical training sessions on Wednesday and the players are in good shape to face Chinese Taipei. Silhavy will depend on many key players including Mohsin al Ghassani, Omar al Malki, Issam al Subhi, Salah al Yahyaei and besides the other names. Red Warriors will eye to return back to Muscat with the winning points and gear up for the concluding match against Kyrgyzstan.
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