India vs Oman 2022 World Cup qualifier: Preview

Indian Super League Prediction

April 20 2024, 07:30 PM

Goa

Chennaiyin FC

Bengaluru, September: The Road to 2022 begins for India on Thursday (September 5) as the Blue Tigers host Oman in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) zone qualifiers Group E tie of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup at Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.

AFC Asian Cup champions and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar is the big name in Group E with Bangladesh and Afghanistan being the other teams in the group.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as well as AFC Asian Cup 2023 to be held in China.

However, should Qatar - who have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup as hosts - win their group, the seven other group winners and five best second-placed sides will advance to the final round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

India's 27-member preliminary squad:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Nishu Kumar, Pritam Kotal, Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Narender Gahlot, Sarthak Golui, Adil Khan, Subhasish Bose, Mandar Rao Dessai.

Midfielders: Nikhil Poojary, Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Raynier Fernandes, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rowllin Borges, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan.

Strikers: Balwant Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.

When and where to watch

The match begins at 7.30 pm IST at Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.

It will be shown live on Star Sports 3 and Asianet Plus channels. Live streaming will be available on Hotstar as well Jio TV.

Fit and hungry

Ahead of the match star striker Sunil Chhetri said the Indian football team is "fit and hungry" and raring to go.

"There is a great eagerness in the team and one really feel the pulse of excitement among the boys. We're really looking forward to the game. We had a great training camp and everyone in the team is fit and hungry," the Bengaluru FC talisman said in the pre-match press conference.

Stimac's challenge

New coach Igor Stimac has had two tournaments - the Thailand King's Cup and Intercontinental Cup on home soil - to familiarise himself with his players and the Croatian will expect India to challenge for the top two spots in the group.

India suffered heartbreak in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and this will drive them despite what looks like a challenging group.

Head-to-head

Oman are 87th in the latest FIFA rankings, while India are 16 places behind them.

Of the seven games between the two sides, India have won only 1, while Oman has prevailed in four with two games ending in a stalemate.

The last meeting between the two teams -- the friendly game in December 2017, which was the final warm up game for the Blue Tigers ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 -- had ended in a goalless draw.