Friday 15 / November / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s national team football coach Jaroslav Silhavy of the Czech Republic will hope for a winning start with the Red Warriors on Thursday [March 21,2024] when his team plays Malaysia in a Group D match of their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027. With the holy month of Ramadan underway, the match will kick off at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex tonight at 10pm.
Oman are currently second in the group with three points, trailing leaders Malaysia who have six points. Kyrgyzstan are third with three points but are behind Oman on goal-difference while Chinese Taipei have yet to open their account.
Silhavy has a major task in hand and will hope that his team will make the most of the home ground conditions and will eye full points against an unbeaten Malaysia.
The Red Warriors had regrouped for a domestic camp for the past eight days under Silhavy, who succeeded Branko Ivankovic of Croatia, after the latter’s dismissal in January following Oman’s early exit in the AFC Asian Cup.
Oman will be hoping for an outright win at home to revive their chances in the joint qualification round. They face a tough test against Malaysia, who have so far had a perfect campaign, winning against Kyrgyzstan and Chinese Taipei.
Ahead of Oman’s match on Thursday, Malaysia played a closed-door friendly match against Nepal while the hosts relied on a domestic camp with the players busy with the domestic league and His Majesty’s Cup games.
Speaking on the eve of the match, Silhavy expressed confidence in his boys and hoped for a winning start. “We had a successful training camp and I am pleased with the players’ performance and discipline in the camp. I am confident the team can register a positive result tomorrow,” he said
The Czech coach added: “I did not have much time with the boys but was able to watch the players’ performance during the league. I am happy that all the called-up players attended camp.”
Oman’s experienced defender and the captain Mohammed Al Musalami said: “The match against Malaysia will be a tough one. We understand the difficulty of the match but we will aim for victory. We are ready for the game.”
“Under the new head coach, we have managed to get a better idea on his technical approach and coaching style,” Al Musalami added
Silhavy’s Malaysian counterpart, Kim Pan-gon, said: “We did not have the best of preparations but we hope to give a tough fight. We are expecting a competitive and exciting game and our goal is to capture three points and continue our winning momentum.”
He added: “The boys have delivered top show in the recent games and we know we can compete with top teams. Our target is to win tomorrow.”
Malaysia, fresh from their first appearance at the AFC Asian Cup since 2007, will seek another victory but head coach Kim has fitness concerns as the domestic season only starts in May.
“Our situation is not ideal at the moment, considering the league ended last December and the new season won’t start until May,” said Kim. “Players need regular game time week in, week out.
“After the Asian Cup, our players had zero game time, and some M-League clubs haven’t even started their pre-season. So, physically, we are behind, and playing away from home during Ramadan adds to the challenge.”
Meanwhile Kyrgyzstan will take on Chinese Taipei in Kaohsiung in the other game with the former looking to build on the 1-0 win over Oman in the earlier round.
