Oman must win against Saudi Arabia to seal a spot in the semifinals of the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait. Oman’s third match of Group A kicks off at Al Kuwait Club Stadium at 19:30 (Oman Time). A draw or defeat against Saudi Arabia will see Red Warriors out of the tournament, so there is no choice except victory to secure a place in the top four. Oman coach Pim Verbeek is expected to focus on the tactical option as he already knew that the physical side might not be as good as the previous two games, as they had to play a game every two and half day.
With no serious absences, the Dutchman is expected to start with the same 4-2-3-1 formation he used in the past two games. According to the latest training session, held at Al Jahra club on Wednesday, Verbeek is expected to allow his team to be more attacking than we saw against UAE and Kuwait. However, Mohsen Jawhar will remain the same operation of number 10 role. Khalid al Hajri will retain his place in the attacking box, followed by Jamil al Yahmedy as right winger, Mohsen Jawhar as playmaker, and Raed Ibrahim as left winger.
The captain Ahmed Kanu and Harib al Sadi will position the central midfield, while the defence line will include: Saad Suhail, Fahmi Dorbeen, Mohammed al Musalami, and Ali al Busaidi. The training session did not show how Verbeek could clearly start against KSA but he spent most of his time with the strikers Abdulaziz al Muqbali and Said al Ruzaiqi, as these players might have key roles in the second half. KSA are still unbeaten against Oman in all 13 games they met in the Gulf Cup tournaments: won 12 games and drew once.
However, the Red Warriors become a strong competitor to KSA in the last 12 years. Since 2005, the Saudi Arabia could not defeat Oman in any official game. Oman won the Gulf Cup 2009 after defeating KSA in the penalty shoot-out. Verbeek is expected to start with Khalid al Hajri in front and Abdulaziz al Muqbali joining as a substitute.
Jaber al Ajmi
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