MUSCAT, Nov 13
Oman will take on Palestine in a must-win situation to keep their hopes alive in Group B of AFC Asian Qualifiers — Road to 26. The match will kick off at 8:00 pm at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Thursday. The Red Warriors, under supervision of head coach Rasheed Jaber, will aim to bounce back strongly after the 4-0 defeat against Jordan in Amman last month.
Oman will head into the tie looking to utilise the fans support and take advantage of the home match. The victory in today’s game will provide a timely boost to the Red Warriors for the following clash against Iraq as they aim to earn six points from both the matches.
Oman currently are in a very precarious position as they are fourth in the group with three points after a challenging start with three defeats against Iraq, South Korea and Jordan. Clinching the full points is much needed in today’s assignment to revive Red Warriors’ campaign.
Despite the injuries of midfielder Yazeed al Maashani, Ali al Busaidy and Salah al Yahyaei, Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber and his assistant Yaqoob al Sabahi will depend on many other key players including Bangkok United forward Mohsin al Ghassani, Abdulrahman al Mushaifri and Omar al Malki to lead the team's attack.
On the other hand, Palestine will eye to snatch the winning points to keep their 2026 Fifa World Cup dreams alive and move forward in their campaign. The opponent side had only two points from two draws while they had suffered two losses to put them in the bottom of the table.
ESSENTIAL TIE
Rasheed Jaber voiced confident during the press conference saying the team will play for a win. “It is an essential match and we will enter the match with winning target. The opponent is in similar situation and if we need to keep our chances alive in the qualifiers, we have to snatch the three points in this game. The presence of the fans will support the team and will capitalise the chances of securing the victory,” he added.
“After the defeat against Jordan, the team underwent a comprehensive training plan and we are looking to convert our plans to a thrilling win. There some injuries in the team but I am confident in my squad as all the players are at the same level of the main players,” he ended.
Oman’s forward Mohsin al Ghassani said the match is not going to be easy. “The goal is to end the match on a winning target. We had closed the chapter of Jordan match and our full focus now is on today’s tie against Palestine. Our aim is to take advantage of the home match and learn from our mistakes in the previous match.
“All the players in the squad are in full readiness and best shape. We are playing as a group and we should not depend on the individual. Our target is to fulfil the fans dreams,” he added.
GO FURTHER IN CAMPAIGN
Palestine head coach Makram Dabdoub said that both teams are equal in their technical performance. “Oman are considered among the teams that are technically well-organised in the field. Despite their top performances in the previous games they suffered defeats. Our target is to win and go further in the table order. The replacements for the injured players are available,” he said.
“Each match has its own characteristics and we will focus in Oman match to secure the desired goal. We faced difficulty with some of our professional players and their clubs. However, we are ready with the available players in the squad and I am looking from my team to deliver a top game. The chances and technical performances are very close between the teams. The team that can manage well on the field and benefit from the scoring chances will be the winner," he concluded.
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