Oman will be looking to restore confidence amongst fans when they host Malaysia in what is likely to be a David vs Goliath battle in Muscat on Thursday night.
The Middle-East side hasn’t exactly enjoyed much success in recent times, with fans being incredibly frustrated at their lackluster showing during the Asian Cup in January, where they failed to progress from their group.
Two months before that, they struggled to finish fourth in the Gulf Cup, an achievement that is seen as inadequate by fans within the country. But with World Cup qualifiers coming up real soon, they certainly need to be hitting their strides soon, as Oman head coach Paul Le Guen, intends to see that happening against Malaysia.
“We are disappointed like everyone, but there is nothing to be ashamed of as far as the team’s performances were concerned,” he told The Times of Oman.
“We lost the matches we could have won and they came against the two eventual finalists, South Korea and Australia. That being said, we won our final group match against Kuwait.
“So we want to keep that momentum going and it’s important to build on that confidence,” Le Guen added.
As for Malaysia, this will also be a crucial testing ground for him ahead of their World Cup qualifiers as well. Malaysia surpassed all expectations by making it to the final of the Suzuki Cup last December, but Dollah knows that fans are expecting them to achieve bigger things this year.
At the same time, the experienced head coach is also keen on using this match to provide young players with game time. His Suzuki Cup squad featured plenty of veterans, and he has certainly been tasked with introducing fresh faces into the national set-up; hence the inclusion of names like Akram Mahinan, Syamim Yahya as well as Che Rashid Che Halim.
“For us it is important to give opportunity for to as many players as possible to play a big team like Oman,” he told The Times of Oman. “Our aim to prepare the team for the challenge and try to get them to match the standard of the Omani team.”
Gopinathan also received a late call-up after injury ruled Chanturu out of the national squad, and the Pahang winger could be Malaysia’s main attacking outlet through the flanks. Safiq Rahim will certainly lead in the middle of the park, and it appears that Akram Mahinan could be partnering him as well.
Oman will be heavy favourites for this game, based on sheer quality as well as home advantage, but should Dollah get his tactics right on the day, expect the Malayan Tigers to be more than just pushovers.
Photo Credits: Times of Oman
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