Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Omanvs.Iraq

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 November 2024, 18:11
Oman and Iraq can vault into a top-two position with a victory and some help when the two sides meet in World Cup 2026 qualifying on Tuesday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

On matchday five of the third round, Iraq claimed a 0-0 draw with Jordan, giving them eight points at this stage, two more than Oman for third in the group, with the latter defeating Palestine 1-0 on Thursday.

Match preview

They left it late last week, but in the end, Oman collected three valuable points in their quest to make it to the World Cup for the first time.

As things stand, the West Asian side sit fourth in the table but can move into second with a victory, combined with a loss by Jordan, which would temporarily put them in a position to earn an automatic berth in the 2026 finals.

Since Rashid Jaber took charge in September, Oman have gotten their qualification campaign back on track, winning two of their last three games after losing their opening two encounters in round three.

All of their points at this qualifying stage occurred at home, winning their last two matches in Muscat by a combined margin of 5-0.

In 2022 qualifying, Oman missed out on the fourth round by just a single point, but midway through this third-round cycle, they sit three points above Kuwait for that final spot in round four.

A victory on Tuesday would mark the first time they will have claimed consecutive triumphs since winning three in a row between March and June.

The Iraqi qualification campaign appears to have hit a minor speed bump after a strong start to the third round of Group B qualifying.

The Lions of Mesopotamia are winless in their last two fixtures after beginning this stage with six points from their opening three contests.

Under Jesus Casas, this team have been incredibly tough to penetrate defensively, conceding the fewest goals in Group B (three).

Their three clean sheets in this round all occurred at home, while they are winless in their last two away contests, including a narrow 3-2 defeat against South Korea on matchday four.

They seem to lack quality and decisiveness in the attacking third, though, scoring a mere four goals in this round, four fewer than Jordan, who are above them on goal difference at +4, while Iraq are at +1.

Iraq are unbeaten in their last three matches across all competitions versus Oman, having defeated them 1-0 at home in the opening game of this round.

Oman World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:

D

L

L

W

L

W

Iraq World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:

W

W

D

W

L

D

Team News

There were four newcomers in Oman's starting 11 last Thursday who did not begin their matchday four encounter versus Jordan, including Abdulaziz Al-Shamousi, Ahmed Al-Kaabi, Abdullah Fawaz and Nasser Al-Rawahi.

Issam Al-Sabhi can collect his 50th cap for the national team on Tuesday, while Sultan Al-Marzouq, Mulham Al-Sinaidi, Hussein Al-Shahri, Jacob Wahrez and Ibrahim Al-Rajhi are all looking to make their first international appearances.

Muhsen Al-Ghassani scored seven minutes from the end in their previous encounter, enabling his side to collect all three points against Palestine as Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini made five stops for the clean sheet.

Casas brought in four new faces to the Iraqi opening lineup from matchday four to five, with Ahmed Basil starting in goal, while Manaf Younis, Saad Abdul-Amir and Ali Jasim also earned a spot in the starting 11.

Ali Faez is one appearance away from 50 with the senior squad, while Mohanad Ali can equal Laith Hussein for ninth in all-time goals, with the Al-Shorta striker currently on 20 for the Lions of Mesopotamia.

Basil stopped the four Jordan efforts that he faced to claim a clean sheet last week in place of Jalal Hassan, who conceded three goals in their defeat to South Korea (3-2).

Oman possible starting lineup:

Al-Mukhaini; Al-Shamousi, Al-Khamisi, Al-Musalami, Al-Kaabi; Al-Yahmadi, Al-Saadi, Al-Alawi, Fawaz; Wahrez, Al-Ghassani

Iraq possible starting lineup:

Basil; Saadoon, Younis, Sulaka, Doski; Iqbal, Al-Ammari; Jasim, Yasin, Madjed; Hussein

We say: Oman 0-0 Iraq

The Iraqi defence is rock-solid and more than capable of shutting down Oman, but they do not possess much creativity going forward, so we anticipate a dull affair between these two teams on Tuesday.

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

17 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Record Women's Champions League winners Lyon Women will travel to Germany for Tuesday's quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich Women. 17 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea's priority in the summer is said to be the purchase of a new striker, while a new winger is also expected to join the club. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich have reportedly decided bid for Manchester United winger Antony, who is currently on loan at Spanish side Real Betis. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women will travel to the Spanish capital for Tuesday's Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid Femenino at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. 16 March 2025 talksport.com "It's all for these fans. They deserve everything." 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Wolfsburg defender Konstantinos Koulierakis as a replacement for Virgil van Dijk should he leave Anfield. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In a match that could have ramifications for both the National League's chase for promotion and relegation battle, Gateshead are set to host Braintree Town at Gateshead International Stadium on Tuesday. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona fought back from two goals behind to record a stunning 4-2 victory over title rivals Atletico Madrid in Sunday night's La Liga contest at Wanda Metropolitano. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Micah Richards could not resist joining in with Newcastle hero Dan Burn's Carabao Cup final celebrations. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted that "it's hard to know" the extent of Ayden Heaven's injury at this stage of proceedings, with the centre-back set to be assessed by the club's medical stuff next week. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eddie Howe has told Sports Mole that some of his "iconic" Newcastle United players will go on to establish themselves as club "legends" after steering the Magpies to EFL Cup glory in Sunday's final against Liverpool. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Leicester's defeat to Manchester United sees them set an unwanted Premier League record as their season goes from bad to worse. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho both ended long goalscoring droughts in Manchester United's 3-0 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday night. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah suffered an unwanted personal first during the Reds' 2-1 loss to Newcastle United in the final of the 2024-25 EFL Cup at Wembley. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah endured one of his most difficult afternoons in Liverpool colours during their heartbreaking Carabao Cup final defeat. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has told Sports Mole that he would rather get straight back into action next week as opposed to waiting for the international break to end following his side's gut-wrenching EFL Cup final loss to Newcastle United. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eddie Howe's Newcastle United side wrote themselves into club history at Wembley on Sunday courtesy of a famous 2-1 triumph over Liverpool in the EFL Cup final. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United defender Ayden Heaven has suffered a potentially-serious injury during Sunday's Premier League clash with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. 16 March 2025 talksport.com A bottom-half finish in the Premier League could be rewarded with a European berth. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Bruno Guimaraes was unable to control his emotions after helping Newcastle end their 70-year trophy drought. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle have won their first major domestic trophy since 1955 courtesy of a deserved 2-1 victory over a limp and lifeless Liverpool side at Wembley. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Newcastle have ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy with a stunning Carabao Cup final victory against Liverpool. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly put a €70m (£59m) offer on the table for Barcelona attacker Raphinha. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has been passed fit for Sunday's Premier League clash against Leicester City, while Mason Mount is on the bench for the 20-time English champions at the King Power Stadium. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Mikel Arteta has walked out of another post-match interview, but this time he was only joking. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Six clubs are reportedly in the running for Lille forward Jonathan David, with the Canada international set to become a free transfer at the end of June. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Mathys Tel urged Tottenham fans to remain behind the team in a heated conversation with angry fans after yet another defeat. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney hailed Wycombe Wanderers as a 'beautiful organisation' following their rapid response to a fan who was taken ill. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United attacker Antony has suggested that he wants to complete a permanent move to a team in Spain this summer amid suggestions that Real Betis and Real Sociedad could go head-to-head for his signature. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has said that he understands the frustrations of the club's supporters following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage.