Oman head coach Branko Ivankovic said that the Red Warriors have high hopes for the Asian Cup Qatar 2023 after the draw for the AFC event took place in Doha on Thursday. The Croatian coach said he is very proud of the team who qualified for the finals of the Asian Cup.
“I am very excited with the amazing draw ceremony in Doha. Oman were positioned in the second pot ahead of the draw and this is happened for the first time. Playing against tough teams will always assist to develop and build up the experience of the team. Oman will attend in the forthcoming Asian Cup finals with high ambitions. Advancing from the group stage is our first goal as top two teams will progress directly to next round besides four best second placed teams,” he said.
Responding to a query that Oman are always grouped with Saudi Arabia, he responded:” This is our destiny and we have accepted it. Saudi Arabia are one of the favourites in the Asian Cup and they are former champions besides their top performance in the last Fifa World Cup in Doha. We played against Saudi Arabia twice in the World Cup qualifiers and we played very well against them,” Ivankovic said.
The Oman coach concluded his comments by voicing confidence that the Red Warriors will show and make good performance in the tournament.
Red Warriors were drawn in Group F along with Asian favourites Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Kyrgyzstan.
Oman will begin their campaign with a tight match against three-time winners Saudi Arabia on January 16 at Khalifa International Stadium while they will meet Thailand on January 21 at Al Janoub Stadium and conclude group games against Kyrgyzstan on January 25 at Al Thumama Stadium.
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