MUSCAT: Oman will hope for a winning end against Kyrgyzstan as both teams will meet in the concluding clash of Group D in the Preliminary Joint Qualification for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on Tuesday. The match will kick off at 8:00 pm at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
Red Warriors have already sealed their ticket to the next stage of the joint qualifiers thanks to the 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei in the previous round while Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia’s match finished in a 1-1 draw. The importance of Tuesday's assignment for the national team is that the triumph will secure the group topper and reaching to 15 points.
Oman’s head coach, Jaroslav Silhavy, voiced confidence that the team is very keen to register the victory. “It is a tough match in the group as the winning result will confirm Oman as group winners. Moreover, we would like to win in this crucial match to dedicate the triumph to our lovely fans in a home game ahead of Eid Al Adha,” he said.
Oman, who are 77th in Fifa rankings, are in the best shape to face the 100th-ranked Kyrgyzstan who will do their utmost level to qualify for the next stage.
“Our focus is to claim three points despite the previous result in Bishkek city. All the players are in good shape except Waleed al Musallami, who trained separately. As a coaching staff, we observed Kyrgyzstan game against Malaysia and noted down all the weakness areas which to be focused by our players,” the Czech coach said.
Responding to an inquiry that as the team guaranteed their qualification and any changes may occur in the starting line-up, coach Silhavy answered:” This is an essential match and we want to continue in the same format of winning results. Playing with major changes in the starting line-up may will impact on the team. Anyhow, the doors are open for any new players and we may see changes in the squad after getting the required confidence,” he added.
The Czech coach said the next round of the qualifiers will be tough and different than this round. “The readiness of the team should be at very high level. We are very confident on our squad and our goal is to develop Oman’s football,” he concluded.
The first leg match between the teams ended for Kyrgyzstan by 1-0 in Bishkek in November last year.
Oman captain Mohammed al Musallami stated that this match will mean a lot for the team. “This is the concluding match to determine the topper of the group. As players we will fight on the field to claim the winning points and lead the group to spread the joy among the spectators,” he said.
“Oman fans do not require an invitation. They attended in difficult times and we are assured that they will come and support the team for this crucial game,” he added.
Kyrgyzstan were held to a 1-1 draw by Malaysia in the last round.
On the other side, Kyrgyzstan’s coach Stefan Tarkovic said that the team will fight for promotion. “ The main target for the team is to qualify for the next round. We will do all efforts to qualify and we do not have anything to loss,” he said.
“The health condition for all players who came to Oman are in best shape and ready to deliver a top game. Our goal will remain the same which is to win the game despite the result in the other game between Chinese Taipei and Malaysia which will be played ahead of our game,” he concluded.
Valeriy Kichin, player of Kyrgyzstan team, pointed that the weather condition is ranked as one of the main challenges here. “Both teams will suffer from this difficulty but Oman team players are more used to this climate. However, we will try to overcome this challenge as a team,” he said.
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