India will face Oman in their opening group stage game at Guwahati on September 5.
The battle for the 2022 World Cup place is up for grabs as the preliminary stage of the World Cup Qualifiers kicks-off from this week. For the Blue Tigers to qualify for the next round, Igor Stimac’s side has to overcome the high-ranked teams including Qatar and Oman. Apart from those two, the Indians will also face neighbours Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Igor Stimac will see his side lock horns on Oman in the first game of the World Cup Qualifiers in Guwahati on Thursday. It will be a massive task for India, however, the Blues enter this fixture with full confidence. On the other hand, Oman are one of the toughest sides in the Asian continent, which makes them automatic favourites.
Since only table toppers and four best second-placed sides qualify to the next round, India and Oman will be hoping for a proper start in the opening game. With yet another game against Qatar in five days time, Indians might rotate their squad and keep their stars fresh, enabling them to participate in both the games.
We look at India Vs Oman head to head football matches, with a brief preview about both the teams.
India Vs Oman:
Oman are the favourites in this game, but the hosts have the capability to overcome this hurdle. In the last friendly last year, India nullified Oman’s attack – assisting them to end the game in a stalemate.
During the Intercontinental Cup, India’s backline went for a walk against Tajikistan and North Korea, conceding 9 goals in two games. But, they bounced back in supreme fashion by holding Syria in a 1-1 draw. Since Igor Stimac is yet to determine his starting lineup, the players were perplexed since he has taken over the national side.
While India have played more games in the middle, Oman are in a standstill. They lastly played in the AFC Asian Cup, where they faced elimination in the hands of Iran in the Round of 16. To put things into perspective, they were lucky to qualify to the knockout stages after losing two out of three group stage games.
Over the past year, the rankings of India and Oman have slumped. The hosts are placed 103rd, while the visitors are 87th.
But how did both the teams fare in head to head stats? We take a look at India Vs Oman head to head football matches, as both the sides are bound to meet for the 8th time on Thursday.
India Vs Oman head to head football matches:
In seven games between these two games, Oman have been the standout team. The Middle East side have won four times, losing once, whilst drawing twice to India.
- Total matches – 7
- Bahrain wins – 4
- India wins – 1
- Draws – 2
- Biggest win: Oman 5-1 India (International Friendly 2012 – 23 February, 2012)
- Latest meeting: India 0-0 Oman (International Friendly 2018 – 27 December, 2018)
