Football: Oman to undergo five training camps ahead of 2019 Asian Cup

Muscat: Oman’s Dutch coach Pim Verbeek has chalked out a comprehensive training progamme to better prepare the Sultanate’s squad for the 2019 Asian Cup.
Speaking to the media two days after the Oman Football Association (OFA) extended his contract till 2020, the experienced coach revealed how he plans to get the reigning Gulf Cup champions ready for the continental football showpiece to be held in the UAE during a press conference at the OFA Headquarters on Wednesday.
The Dutchman’s plans include as many as five training training and a number of international friendly matches against some of the strong teams of the region.
The first of the external training camps will take place in Jordan from September 1 to 12, during which Oman team will also play a friendly match against Jordan on September 11.
The team will then camp in Qatar from October 7 to 16.
According to Verbeek, during Qatar camp the team will also play two friendlies - against Yemen on October 14 and against Ecuador on October 16.
The team will then gather for an internal camp to held in Muscat from November 12 to 20, during which they will play two friendly matches, including one against Kyrgyzstan on November 18.
That will be followed by another internal camp from December 7 to 22 in Muscat, during the team will play three friendly matches against yet to be determined opponents.
Ahead of the Asian Cup, which begins on January 5, 2019 the team will undergo their final training camp in the UAE from December 23, 2018.
Verbeek’s boys will also play friendlies against Australia and Thailand on December 30 and January 2 respectively.
At Asian Cup, the Sultanate squad are placed in Group F along with Japan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and they are scheduled to start their campaign against Uzbekistan on January 9.