The Sultanate of Oman football team will eye only a victory as they face Australia on Tuesday to keep their hopes alive in advancing to the playoff spot in the Asian qualifiers — Road to Qatar 2022 for group B.
The match will kick off at 8:00 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex without the attendance of the spectators in line with the decisions made by the Supreme Committee of Covid-19.
‘Red Warriors’ have no other option unless snatching three points from the Socceroos as it is a do-or-die clash to revive the chances of ending in third place. Sultanate of Oman has only seven points from two victories, four defeats and one draw.
Coach Branko Ivankovic’s men performed a top show against Saudi Arabia last week in Jeddah despite the 1-0 defeat. Australia defeated Oman 3-1 in Doha in an away game and the Red Warriors will be chasing three points in the home game.
Crucial Game
The head coach of national football team, Branko Ivankovic, said that the game is crucial for both teams. “Australia will look for direct qualification and target the win in today’s match. We will also continue fighting for the playoff spot and will aim for the victory. Seven players are in quarantine due to positive cases of Covid-19. Many other PCR tests took place on Monday to confirm the health status of the players and decide for the line-up,” he added.
The Croatian coach showed his full satisfaction on players’ performance in the previous games. “I am confident with the players’ capabilities and they have a lot to deliver. We knew that Australia is a strong team but the players will fight for the winning. We showed top performance in the last games but could not score and lost the matches,” he said
Responding to an inquiry on finishing the scoring attempts to goals, he said: ”The strikers are the most significant part in football. We are working hard to prepare them during the training sessions and do many practices to ensure proper scoring tactics. Moreover, the team is playing with balance in all lines including defence, middle and the attacking sides. The team now is a combination of young faces and experienced players and we are working in different short and long plans to prepare the team for the forthcoming assignment including AFC Asia Cup in China,” he ended.
Targeting win
The national football team player, Ahmed al Khamsi, commenced his speech in the press meet wishing speed recovery for his teammates and re-join the team soon.
“It is a tough match and we knew the importance of this game for us. We will enter the pitch targeting the result only. The spectators are always our supporters and will miss them in today’s game. However, this is a good step to maintain their safety. We will deliver top efforts to spread joy among the audience,” he concluded.
Coach Graham Arnold, Head Coach of the Socceroos, said that the game will not be easy for both sides. “ We will focus on this game and will forget the previous match. Absence of Sultanate of Oman’s fans is a good advantage but the Sultanate of Oman team is well known in playing as a group and we aim for the win,” he ended.
