Muscat: Oman national football team is eyeing a triumph to keep their hopes alive when they face Gulf Cup champion Bahrain in the Group A concluding match of 2021 Fifa Arab Cup on Monday at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan city.
The match will start at 23:00 Oman Time. Red Warriors have no option except focusing on clinching the three points and hope Iraq struggles against Qatar or there is a draw between both teams.
A draw will assist the Oman national team only if Iraq is defeated by Qatar. The same calculation will be applicable for Bahrain team who have one point from two games.
Oman began the campaign in the Fifa event by a 1-1 against Iraq. In the following game, Oman suffered a 2-1 loss against the hosts Qatar in the dying minutes.
Oman are at the third place in group A with one point only while Qatar are group toppers with six points. Qatar sealed their direct ticket to the next round. Iraq was positioned in the second place with two points.
The last clash between Oman and Bahrain was in the 24th edition of Arabian Gulf Cup in Doha as the match ended in a goalless draw. The Croatian coach, Branko Ivankovic, is fully aware that Bahrain match is a do-or-die clash for Oman if they want to progress further in the Fifa Arab Cup journey in Doha.
Branko, 67 years old, said that Bahrain match is a key game for the national team to advance into the second stage. “It is expected to be a tough fixture. I watched Bahrain in the previous games against Iraq and Qatar. They showed good performance. They are Gulf Cup champions and the team impressed me,” he added in the press meet on Sunday.
The Croatian coach affirmed that Oman also showed good performance during the last two encounters. “Spectators are expecting a better show in the Bahrain game. No injures for players in the team and we are fresh enough for today’s game. I knew Bahrain team since I was a head coach of Iran team and they had good and well capable players. Our focus in the championship is to register positive results and advance to the forthcoming rounds,” he ended.
On the other hand, the Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, the head coach of Bahrain team, told during the press meet that the team’s preparation is going well. “ Our players are focused and we need a victory to move into next stage in the event. All the players are expected to be more efficient and competent in the pitch to deliver good result,” he concluded.
