MUSCAT, NOV 8
The Oman national football team arrived in Thailand on Sunday to begin their overseas training camp ahead of the King Cup international friendly tournament, scheduled to take place from November 8 to 18.
Oman team will use the camp to prepare for the upcoming competition, with head coach Tarik Sektioui focusing on improving the players' physical and technical readiness, strengthening team cohesion and testing tactical options ahead of the tournament.
Oman will face Tajikistan in the King Cup semifinal on November 14, where the winners advancing to the final scheduled for November 17.
The other semifinal will see hosts Thailand take on Brunei on the same day. The two losing teams will also meet on November 17 in the third-place play-off.
Sektioui has named a 27-player squad for the Thailand camp, including goalkeepers Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Ibrahim al Rajhi and Ahmed al Rawahi.
The squad also features Ahmed al Kaabi, Amjad al Harthi, Musab al Shaqsi, Ghanim al Habsi, Harib al Saadi, Thani al Rashidi, Mohammed al Ghafri, Abdulrahman al Mushaifri, Abdullah al Maamari, Abdulmajeed al Balushi, al Mutasim al Maqbali, Ahed al Mashaikhi, Jameel al Yahmadi, Zaher al Aghbari, Fahad al Mukhaini, Salah al Yahyai, Nasser al Rawahi, Issam al Subhi, Sultan al Marzouq, Abdulhafidh al Mukhaini, Yousef al Shabibi, Jawad al Izzi, Abdulaleem al Rawahi and Turki Bait Rabie.
However, defender Khalid al Buraiki has been ruled out of the camp due to injury. The player suffered a double fracture to his nasal bone while representing his club Al Shabab in the Gulf Club Champions League.
The tournament will provide Sektioui with an opportunity to assess the squad, give players valuable international exposure and build on the team's recent progress ahead of their upcoming commitments.
Oman enter the competition following their semifinal appearance at the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup in Jeddah, where they recorded one win, one draw and one defeat before losing to the United Arab Emirates in the last four.
The national team will also be looking to improve its Fifa world ranking after dropping two places from 79th to 81st following the Gulf Cup campaign.
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