MUSCAT: Oman will aim to revive their hopes when they take on Sri Lanka on Wednesday in the third round of the Group E at the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers. In the same group, hosts Tajikistan will meet North Korea. Oman's match against Sri Lanka will start at 16:00 (Oman time) at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe while the following game will be held at 19:00 (Oman time).
Oman suffered a 2-1 defeat against Malaysia in the opening match on last Saturday while Sri Lanka received a 4-0 defeat from North Korea on the same day. In the second round matches of the group, the hosts Tajikistan secured a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka and the clash between Malaysia and North Korea ended in a goalless draw. By the conclusion of second round matches, North Korea are leading the group standings by four points in goal difference to Malaysia who are placed in second position. The hosts Tajikistan are in third place with three points while Oman and Sri Lanka are at the group bottom with no points.
Oman boys led by national head coach Ahmed al Alawi are aiming to register victories in the forthcoming matches against Sri Lanka, North Korea and Tajikistan. The winning results will raise Oman’s chances to secure a direct spot or at least to snatch a spot from the best five second placed teams. Among the total 10 groups, the top winners from each group and five best second-placed teams will advance to the finals as China will host the tournament from February 6-23, 2025.
The junior Red Warriors completed their readiness for Wednesday's clash and they will look to show a different performance that will ensure Oman’s hopes are still alive in the qualifiers. The coaching staff worked very hard during the last couple of days, taking benefit of rest days during the second round games to focus on the areas that require to strengthen the defending and attacking lines. It is expected that the starting line-up will remain the same including some of the key players who are expected to join in Wednesday's game including Faisal al Hadidi, Yassar al Balushi, Muhannad al Saadi and others.
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