Asian Cup Qualifiers: Confident Oman eyes victory
(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman coach Pim Verbeek hopes that his Red Warriors will showcase their potential to clinch a much-needed victory against the visiting Maldives side in a Group D match of the AFC 2019 Asian Cup qualifier at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) on Tuesday. The match kicks off at 7.15pm.
A win for the hosts will keep it on track for not only a place in the Asian Cup but also push its chances to top the group after its surprising 1-2 away defeat to Palestine in June.
Palestine tops the group with six points as the qualifying round reaches the halfway stage on Tuesday. Both Oman and
Maldives have three points each, though Oman is ahead on goal-difference after its 14-0 win in the opening group match against Bhutan in March at the SQSC.
L-R: Ahmed Mubarak 'Kanu', Pim Verbeek, Darren Stewart and Adey
Oman had a two-week camp in Austria last month followed by a 2-0 win in a friendly over Afghanistan last week.
The Dutchman was criticised for the team's shoddy display during the friendly but the coach defended his players during his pre-match press conference on Monday. 'We had tried out various combinations against Afghanistan. I am satisfied that 80 per cent of my experiments worked well in that game. Friendlies are usually an opportunity to try out different options. I am confident that the boys will come out victorious against Maldives tomorrow,' said Verbeek.
'Maldives is a good team but we are determined to erase the disappointment of the previous game against Palestine. I am looking for nothing less than three points,' he said.
The coach has not called up regular captain and No 1 goalkeeper Ali al Habsi for the match and Faiz al Rusheidi will be the man under the bar. Ahmed Mubarak 'Kanu' will lead the hosts in Habsi's absence with striker Abdulaziz al Miqbali also likely to miss the match.
Ranked 142nd in the world, the Maldives landed in Muscat after a week-long training camp in Qatar, which included a 0-1 friendly loss to Al Duhail Club last week.
'The match against Oman will be a vital game and I honestly believe that we can get something out of the game,' said Maldives coach Darren Stewart. 'I know probably it's the toughest place to play in the group and probably for anyone, including teams like Japan or Australia. So we are not underestimating them,' said the Australian. Also present at the pre-match conference was Maldives' captain Adey.
Oman is currently ranked 120th and is favourite to pocket the three points. The top two teams from the six groups will advance to the Asian Cup, scheduled to be held in the UAE in 2019.
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