MUSCAT: Oman will eye a win against Malaysia to revive their chances in leading the Group D as they will meet on Thursday in the third round matches of the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
The match will kick off at 10:00 pm (Oman Time) at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Malaysia are currently topping the group by six points from two games while Oman are second with three points.
It will be the first official task for Oman's new head coach Jaroslav Silhavy, who replaced former Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic. Ivankovic has landed a job as new head coach of China.
The Jaroslav Silhavy-coached side wants nothing less than a win that will ensure reviving Oman’s chances in topping the group.
Oman team, under the watchful eyes of Silhavy, will conclude their latest technical preparations by a final training session on Wednesday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex and the rivals will have the training at the same venue. The Czech coach led Oman training sessions couple of days ago and he focused on different technical and tactical areas.
The pre-match press conference will take place on Wednesday as both teams head coaches will highlight on their readiness for the game. A player will accompany the head coach.
The away game takes place in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. The Red Warriors will travel on the following day of the match to Kuala Lumpur. The coaching staff is fully aware of the importance of snatching the winning points from these two games. Hence, it is expected that Oman team will show top performance in both games after the disappointing match against Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek which ended for the hosts by 1-0 in the second match of the double qualifiers while Oman's campaign started with a 2-0 win against Chinese Taipei.
On the other side, Oman Football Association (OFA) announced attractive prizes for the fans who will attend the match to support the national team. Six cars will be in a lucky draw for the audience at the stadium. Oman will look to exploit home conditions and maximize the outputs.
NEW PHASE
Shaikh Salim al Wahaibi, OFA Chairman, expressed his gratitude for the great support from Omani fans to the national team. “We highly appreciate the efforts made by the fans, considering them as an integral part of the collective efforts to ensure the success of the team especially in the double qualifying event to the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027,” he said in a press statement.
"The audience, in all its spectrums, has the right to be disappointed because they are a loving and passionate audience for the team. It is natural that negative results for the team do not satisfy the fans, nor do they satisfy us. It is necessary to search for positive solutions for the team, and we appreciate all the reactions of the fans for the sake of the national team's interests first and foremost," he added.
“The national team is entering a new phase of competitions with great aspirations to reconcile its loyal and beloved fans. It is very important to support the team in this crucial phase. The team's stars understand and will play a significant role in presenting an honorable and impressive performance that reflects their readiness for the new phase,” the OFA chief concluded.
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