Oman vs Australia Prediction & Tips
Looking to move into the automatic qualification places in Group B of World Cup qualifying, Australia take on Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Tuesday.
The Reds, currently fourth in the group standings, will go into the game desperate to get past the visitors who have failed to win any of the last five meetings between the teams since 2011.
Oman players applaud fans after the match on January 27, 2022© Reuters
Oman suffered a major blow in their quest for a place in Qatar later this year when they fell to a slim 1-0 loss at the hands of Saudi Arabia last Thursday.
In a quiet affair at the King Abdullah Sports City, Branko Ivankovic’s men were forced to lament their waste in front of goal when Firas Albirakan struck three minutes into the second half to hand the hosts all three points.
This followed a fine run in the Arab Cup, where they picked up four points from three matches to finish second in Group A before suffering a 2-1 loss at the hands of North African side Tunisia in December.
Oman have failed to win all but one of their last seven matches in all competitions, losing four and drawing, with a 3-0 victory over Bahrain on December 6 the only exception.
This has been due to their struggles on the defensive end of the pitch, where they have failed to keep a clean sheet in six of those matches while conceding eight goals, with their luck at the opposite end of their pitch no better.
Having collected seven points from seven matches, the Reds are currently fourth in Group B, seven points behind Australia in the qualifying playoff spot and two points clear of fifth-place China.
With just three qualifying matches to go, Oman must avoid dropping any more points to keep their slim qualification hopes alive and end their wait to make their first World Cup appearance.
Up next, however, is the ordeal of facing an opposing team that is undefeated in eight of the last nine meetings between the teams since 2009, with six wins and two draws in that time.
Australia, on the other hand, continued their fight for an automatic qualification ticket when they posted a resounding 4-0 victory over Vietnam last time out.
Marco Tilio of Australia celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on July 22, 2021© Reuters
In a one-sided encounter at Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium, Jamie MacLaren, Tom Rogic, Craig Goodwin and Riley McGree were all on target to hand the hosts all three points and hand the Golden Star Warriors their seventh loss in seven group outings.
Prior to that, Graham Arnold’s men were on a three-match winless run, losing 2-1 to Australia on 13 October before playing successive draws with Saudi Arabia and China, respectively, in November.
Australia head into Tuesday’s match unbeaten in all but one of their last 15 matches in all competitions, posting an impressive 12 wins and two draws in that time.
The Socceroos are currently five points behind Group B leaders Saudi Arabia and one behind second-place Japan, and with three games to go, they will feel confident in their chances of maintaining this good form and securing an automatic place in Qatar. .
Australia have five World Cup appearances, most recently in France four years ago, when they crashed out of the group stage after picking up just one point from three games to bottom out of Group C.
Oman – Australia FREE TIPS
Australia – Win @ 1.55
