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Oman national football team
World Cup Qualifying - Asia | Third Round
Sep 7, 2021 at 5pm UK
Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex
Saudi Arabia national football team

Oman
0 - 1
Saudi Arabia

FT(HT: 0-1)
Al-Shehri (42')
Al-Malki (58')

Preview: Oman vs. Saudi Arabia - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's World Cup Qualifying - Asia clash between Oman and Saudi Arabia, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Both looking to build on opening victories, Oman and Saudi Arabia will square off on Tuesday in the second round of fixtures of the Asian World Cup Qualifiers third round.

The hosts picked up an eye-catching 1-0 win over Japan in the first game of the new phase of qualifying, while their visitors comfortably defeated Vietnam 3-1.


Match preview

Morocco head coach Herve Renard pictured on June 23, 2019© Reuters

Oman reached this stage thanks to a relatively impressive showing in the second round, beginning with a 2-1 away win over India and a comfortable 3-0 victory against Afghanistan.

After a 2-1 defeat to group favourites Qatar, Al-Ahmar bounced back with a 4-1 thrashing of Bangladesh and a 1-0 win over India, before again falling to a defeat at the hands of Qatar.

Away victories against Afghanistan and Bangladesh saw Branko Ivankovic's side finish comfortably in second spot behind the runaway leaders, progressing to the third round as one of the best runners-up.

They then started the third round in style with a surprise victory, when they made the trip to take on Japan, as Issam Al Sabhi netted an 88th-minute winner as the game looked set to end goalless.

Having started with a victory over one of the sides heavily fancied to finish in the top two, Oman will look to build with what would be another impressive result to boost their bid for a first World Cup appearance.

They take on a Saudi Arabia side who reached the 2018 tournament in Russia, and will look to make a second consecutive appearance next year.

Saudi Arabia celebrates after an goal by midfielder Yasser Alshahrani (13) during the first half against the Ivory Coast in Group D play during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Nissan Stadium on July 22, 2021© Reuters

The Green Falcons cruised through the second round, with draws against Yemen and Palestine being the only blemishes on their record.

Herve Renard's men topped their group with 20 points, having netted 22 goals in eight games while only conceding four at the other end of the pitch, meaning they head into a tough third-round group with confidence.

They started in style at home to Vietnam, overturning an early one-goal deficit as Salem Al-Dawsari, Yasser Al-Shahrani and Saleh Al-Shehri all got on the scoresheet in a 3-1 victory.

With competition for the top three spots fierce between the likes of Australia, Japan and Oman, Renard's side will be desperate to add another victory to cement themselves at the top end of the table from the outset with their sights set on reaching next year's World Cup.

Oman World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W

Oman form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Saudi Arabia World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Saudi Arabia form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W



Team News

Saudi Arabia's Taiseer Al Jassam celebrates scoring their first goal with Yasser Al-Shahrani during the international friendly with Germany on June 8, 2018© Reuters

The majority of Oman's squad play domestic football in their home country, with the exception of midfielder Jameel Al-Yahmadi, who plies his trade for Al-Markhiya in Qatar.

Faiz Al-Rushaidi seems to now be the first-choice goalkeeper, after experienced stopper Ali Al-Habsi dominated the spot for over a decade.

Attacker Abdul Aziz Al-Muqbali will hope to break into the starting XI, having hit 30 goals in 85 appearances for his nation.

Striker Salem Al-Dawsari and winger Saleh Al-Shehri both got on the scoresheet in Saudi Arabia's 3-1 win over Vietnam last time out, and they will again play key roles going forward on Tuesday.

Fahad Al-Muwallad should feature on the opposite flank, having hit 17 goals in 62 international appearances.

Oman possible starting lineup:
Al-Rushaidi; Al Harthi, Al Khamisi, Al Habsi, Al-Busaidi; Al Aghbari, Al-Saadi, Al-Yahyaei, Fawaz; Al-Muqbali, Al-Hajri

Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup:
Al Owais; Al Ghanam, Al-Amri, Madu, Al-Shahrani; Al-Malki, Otayf; Al-Muwallad, Al-Faraj, Al-Shehri; Al-Dawsari


SM words green background

We say: Oman 0-2 Saudi Arabia

While Oman punched above their weight to topple Japan in the opening game, we do not see them causing another upset on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia boast quality and experience all over the pitch, and we expect them to put another victory on the board in their push for a second straight World Cup appearance.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Saudi Arabia win with a probability of 44.36%. A win for Oman had a probability of 30.18% and a draw had a probability of 25.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a Saudi Arabia win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.1%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.09%) and 0-2 (7.6%). The likeliest Oman win was 1-0 (8.03%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.08%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 10.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Saudi Arabia in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Oman vs Saudi Arabia

Oman
18.6%
Draw
18.6%
Saudi Arabia
62.9%
70
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