One of the tournament favourites Saudi Arabia will take on Oman in the Asia Cup on Tuesday. Meeting in Al Rayyan, the two teams hope to get off to a quick start. They are in a section that also includes Thailand and Kyrgyzstan.
Preview (Saudi Arabia vs. Oman)
Saudi Arabia was been named the 2030 World Cup host. Part of their objective to get there is to qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup. They are looking to win the Asian Cup for the first time since 1996. Following an impressive year of signing new players for the Saudi Pro League, the Green Falcons advanced toward the first goal when they finished 2023 with a perfect record in World Cup qualifying. Head coach Roberto Mancini’s first victory since joining the team in August came from a 4-0 triumph over Pakistan. Two goals from Saleh Al-Shehri who scored Saudi Arabia’s equalizer against Argentina in the last global finals.
Five days later, the Al-Hilal striker scored two more goals against Jordan before Saudi Arabia turned their attention to their return to Qatar, where they had shocked the Argentinians a little over a year prior. Mancini’s team has played three friendlies this month, keeping three clean sheets. They defeated Lebanon 1-0, drew 0-0 with Palestine in Doha, and will finish their preparations on Wednesday against Hong Kong. When the teams met last year, Oman won 2-1 in the Gulf Cup. A late winner by Harib Al-Saadi clinched victory against Saudi Arabia.
After defeating the United Arab Emirates 1-0 in a friendly match last week, the Reds are now getting ready to face their rivals in West Asia again, thanks to a goal from Abdullah Fawaz in the fifth minute. The Omanis made it to the knockout stage of the 2019 Asian Cup. They ended just one point behind Australia in their quest for a spot in Qatar 2022. They are still underdogs to win the tournament.
Team News
Ayman Yahya, Abbas Al-Hassan, and Al-Nassr goalkeeper Nawaff Al-Aqidi have all been excluded from Saudi Arabia’s final roster for this month’s finals due to injuries. Furthermore, Rayan Hamid has been sent back to the Under-23 Olympic team camp by Roberto Mancini, who selected an all-Saudi-based roster. The Italian coach has also left out over a dozen players from the 2022 World Cup roster. Winger Salem Al-Dawsari, who has 79 caps and was sent off in the most recent match against Palestine. He should start for the Green Falcons alongside Al-Hilal teammates Saud Abdulhamid and Ali Al-Bulaihi. He has frequently started ahead of Roberto Firmino in the Saudi Pro League. Similar to their rivals, Oman does not currently have any players in Europe, and their most-capped player is veteran midfielder Harib Al-Saadi.
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Oman
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