The Oman - Vietnam match takes place at 23:00 (Vietnam time) on October 12 at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in the capital Muscat. At the moment, the home team is in 3rd place in Group B with 3 points, while the Vietnamese team is at the bottom of the table with no points.
Oman beat Japan 1-0, lost to Saudi Arabia 0-1 and lost 1-3 to Australia. Meanwhile, Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team have lost all 3 matches against Saudi Arabia, Australia and China. The Vietnamese team has clearly felt the challenges, when participating in the final qualifying round of a World Cup for the first time.
In history, Oman have met Vietnam twice in the 2004 Asian Cup qualifiers. The West Asian teams both won with scores of 6-0 and 2-0 respectively. With the progress of Vietnamese football over the past 4 years, the large difference in score is unlikely to appear, but the Oman team is still considered to be superior in many aspects.
Goalkeeper Ali Al- Habsi, who played in the Premier League, is Oman's most famous player. However, he will find it difficult to play as a starting forward. Instead, coach Branko Ivankovic will continue to put his faith in Faiz Al-Rushaidi, who is looking for a second clean sheet in the World Cup qualifiers.
Oman is a team with a very clear and harmonious combination of very experienced players and young faces. Up front, the team nicknamed the Red Devils could consider using striker Aziz Al-Muqbali, the top scorer in the history of the national team with 29 goals. But at the age of 32, this striker will likely be the second option.
The Oman team will not have the service of the dynamic Zahir Al-Aghbari, a player who has played very well in the past matches. However, coach Ivankovic still has many other good faces in his hands, capable of replacing them, to create a surprise for the Vietnam team.
Through 3 matches against the strongest teams in Group B, Oman has somewhat shown their ability. They have a well-organized squad, adherence to tactics and diverse attacking ability. Oman made Saudi Arabia and Australia work very hard to win, as well as defeating Japan away when using option 2 at the right time.
The Vietnamese team did not suffer any damage in terms of force. However, the confidence of Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team has somewhat decreased after 3 consecutive losses. The progress of Vietnamese football brings many interesting things to the World Cup qualifiers. However, the team's level is still far from the opponents in the region.
The Oman team will make the most of all advantages, use all resources to defeat the Vietnam team, thereby warding off small hopes, competing for 2 World Cup spots and 1 play-off spot with Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Expected lineup:
Oman: Faiz Al-Rushaidi; Khalid Al-Braiki, Fahmi Durbin, Juma Al-Habsi, Ali Al-Busaidi; Mohsin Al-Khaldi, Jameel Al-Yahmadi, Harib Al-Saadi; Abdul Aziz Al-Muqbali, Issam Al Sabhi, Khalid Al-Hajri
Vietnam: Bui Tan Truong, Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Nguyen Quang Hai, Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Tien Linh
