Oman under-19 football team will take on Egypt in the opener clash of 2022 Arab Cup U-20 Championship at Dhamak Club Stadium in Abha city, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. The match will start at 22:00 (Oman time).
The junior Red Warriors will look to begin their campaign on a positive note that will encourage the team members to give their top performance in the forthcoming game fixture against Somalia on Sunday. Coach David Gordo’s junior stars are all set for the crucial match as the team arrived in Abha city recently, and had few training sessions besides a series of preparatory camps in Muscat.
Oman team played two international preparatory games against Palestine in Muscat during the last warm up camp. Both warm up fixtures ended for Oman on a victorious note. The second preparatory game concluded for Oman team by 2-1 where Khalid al Sulaimi and Salim al Abdali netted the winning goals. The first match ended at 1-0 and the only goal in the match was scored by Salim al Abri.
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Head coach David Gordo voiced confidence during the press meet on Tuesday, and said that the tournament features tough teams and the assignment will not be easy. “We have prepared the national team well during the previous months. I assure that our team will meet with the tough ones and this will not be easy for all the participating teams,” he added.
The Spanish coach said: ”I respect all the participating teams in the championship. The team will show their level best to get positive results. We have our own style and tactics to be followed and the players are trained on these during the past camps”.
The 52-year-old said though Egypt team is the favourite for the title, Oman team has capable players who can show the best on the field.
Oman has been placed in Group D along with Somalia and Egypt. The tournament began on Wednesday and concludes on August 6. As many as 18 teams distributed into six groups will compete in the Arab Cup to clinch the prestigious title. The topper from each group will advance to the quarterfinal beside two teams from the best second placed teams will progress to the same round.
