Olympics Begin In
:
Days
:
Hours
:
Mins
 
Secs
Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: India vs Oman - All you need to know, telecast, predictions

Igor Stimac's men open their campaign with a match against Oman on Thursday in Guwahati, before travelling to Doha to play against reigning Asian champions Qatar on 10 September.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: India vs Oman - All you need to know, telecast, predictions
X
By

Chandra Moulee Das

Updated: 4 Aug 2021 2:35 PM GMT

The Indian football team is ready to go all guns blazing in a bid to consolidate their maiden World Cup berth when they open their FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers campaign against Oman. The Blue Tigers have a been placed in Group E in the second round qualifiers alongside Oman, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Qatar.

Igor Stimac's men play their first match against Oman on Thursday in Guwahati, before travelling to Doha to play against reigning Asian champions Qatar on 10 September. Each team will play home and away matches till June next year. The top team from each of the eight groups and the four best runners-up across all the groups will advance to the third round.

The target for the Blues will thus be to finish in the top of the pile, but will face an uphill task to overcome some of the top-ranked teams in the group like Oman and Qatar. Qatar, the Asian champions, would be the most challenging opponent in the group. In such a case, collecting points against Oman will be necessary for India to finish among the four best runners-up across all groups. As per the format, table toppers and four second best sides will progress to the next round, which will start from September 2020.

Facing Oman would be a tricky fixture for India. India last faced Oman in a friendly fixture ahead of the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year. The Reds will be high on momentum, having won all the three matches played under the new Dutch manager Erwin Koeman while the Indian team has renewed spirit with Igor Stimac at the helm.

https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1169137749884112896

India vs Oman: Past results

India faced Oman last year in a friendly ahead of the Asia Cup. The teams played out a goalless draw in what was a lacklustre affair in the UAE. The Blue Tigers don't enjoy a healthy record against The Reds, with their last and only win arriving in 1994. India won the semi-final of the 1994 Independence Cup 4-1 but have heavily suffered against Oman ever since.

India: 1

Oman: 4

Draw: 2

Squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Arminder 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, Rowlin Borges, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan

Forwards: Balwant Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh

Telecast

Kick off: 7:30 PM IST

Venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati

Telecast: Star Sports 3, Asianet Plus.

Stream: Hotstar

The draw for this World Cup is comparatively an easier one to the previous campaign which saw India finish last in the group consisting of Iran, Turkmenistan, Oman and Guam. However, this time, Igor Stimac's side will take on Oman, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in the Group E.

Predictions

The Indian team currently is playing a very alluring brand of football under Igor Stimac's reign. Though Oman is ranked higher in the FIFA rankings and will put forth a tough challenge, if India can hold fort in the defence and capitalise on the chances in the final third, the Blue Tigers have a shot at starting their WC qualifiers campaign on a strong note.

Predicted Score: Ind 1-3 Oman

Next Story