MUSCAT: The Oman national football team will take on Jordan on Tuesday in their fourth Group B match of the AFC Asian Qualifiers — Road to 26. The match will kick off at the Amman International Stadium at 8 pm (Oman time).
Oman, coached by national coach Rasheed Jaber, will chase a second straight win to revive hopes and inch closer to the top teams in the group following their commanding 4-0 win over Kuwait at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat Governorate last Thursday. On the other side, hosts Jordan will aim to make a comeback after their 2-0 defeat to South Korea last week.
With three points from three matches, the Red Warriors will look to capitalise on their high morale and aim to finish the clash against Jordan on a positive note.
Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber sounded confident about delivering a top performance against Jordan. “Our preparations are ongoing smoothly as we started in Muscat Governorate before the Kuwait game. This is a crucial tie against Jordan, who have good players and are a well-disciplined team. My target is to finish the match successfully. The mental focus of the players is essential, whether we are playing at home or away, as it is linked to the team’s performance and the efforts made by the players. We need to be perfect on the pitch," he said.
Commenting on the Kuwait game, Rasheed added: “We returned to competition with the Kuwait match, but we have a tough challenge against Jordan on Tuesday. If we want to progress in the Asian qualifiers, we need to deliver an outstanding performance.”
“The difficulty of this group is that all the teams are very close to each other. Football depends on small details, and I want to see my players reaching their full potential on the pitch. All the teams in the group are familiar with each other, and our goal is to finish the match with a positive result and keep our chances alive,” Rasheed said.
The experienced coach concluded his statement by stressing that there are no easy matches in the group, or in football in general. “It is crucial to focus on small details, and we must play as a group rather than relying on individual efforts.”
Ali al Busaidy said the team is in perfect shape to face Jordan. “The win in the previous match was crucial, and we are looking to achieve more positive results in the upcoming games. A footballer needs to adapt to all situations on the field, and we should be ready to play in front of a huge audience. A winning culture is vital, and I am confident all the players will give their utmost effort to end the match with the desired result,” he added.
On the other hand, Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami affirmed they would seek to bounce back in Tuesday's game against Oman. “Our main goal is to return to winning ways. The circumstances of the previous match didn’t favour us, and as the head coach, I take responsibility for the result. We lacked strength with Al Taamari out, and although Al Naimat came on in the second half, we weren’t at our best,” said Sellami.
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