Oman to play three friendlies against Spanish clubs in Spain

Muscat: The Oman Football Association (OFA) announced on Friday that the national football team will play three friendly matches against Spanish clubs as part of the ongoing external camp in Asturias region, Spain, until July 24.

The first preparatory match will be against Real Murcia CF on Thursday while in the following game the Red Warriors will meet Real Oviedo FC on July 21. The last warm-up game will be against CD Leganés FC on July 24. All the preparatory matches will be part of the Red Warriors underway camp in Spain which will conclude on July 24.

Real Murcia Club is a domestic Spanish football club and currently playing in Primera Federation – Group 2. The club has a commendable record, having won eight Segunda División titles and one Spanish Royal Federation Cup. The next team is Real Oviedo which is again second tier team at the Spanish football league system. Historically, the club had played 38 seasons in La Liga, 42 seasons in second Division, nine seasons in second Division B and four seasons in third Division. The last club is Deportivo Leganés, S.A.D. which is a football club playing in the first tier of the Spanish league system. In the coming season 2024–25, Leganés will play in La Liga thanks to their automatic promotion after winning their first Segunda title.

Oman’s coaching staff will eye from all the above three warm-up games against different-tier Spanish clubs to implement and test various technical and tactical plans. Also, it is part of the strategic move for team’s comprehensive preparation for the Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26.

Furthermore, the friendly matches will provide the team with high-level competition to fine-tune their strategies and performance. The technical prowess and tactical discipline will offer invaluable experience to the Omani players helping them elevate their game. Building team cohesion is another target beside developing the coordination on the field.

Also, the preparatory matches against Spanish clubs will offer the coaching staff a clear opportunity to evaluate individual player progress and the effectiveness of the training regimes. This assessment will be crucial for making strategic adjustments and identifying areas that require further development ahead of finalising the squad for the September Asian qualifier matches. Oman will face Iraq in Basra on September 5 and South Korea in Muscat on September 10.

OMAN SQUAD: Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Fayez al Rushedi, Ahmed al Rawahi, Ibrahim al Rajhi, Ahmed al Khamisi, Mohammed al Musallami, Khalid al Buraiki, Ghanim al Habshi, Ali al Busaidy, Ahmed al Kaabi, Amjad al Harthy, Abdulaziz al Shmoosi, Harib al Saadi, Abdullah Fawaz, Salah al Yahyaei, Omar al Malki, Zaher al Aghbari, Arshad al Alawi, Jameel al Yahmadi, Abdulrahman al Mushefri, Musaab al Maamari, Mohsin al Ghassani, Essam al Subhi, Nasser al Rawahi, Mohammed al Ghafri, Sultan al Marzooqi, Khalid al Ghatrefi, Jawad al Azi and Mohammed al Ghafri.