The team’s morale is high…and Cosmin decides on the way to play the Oman match

Today, the national football team concludes its intensive preparations before the expected confrontation against its Omani counterpart, at nine o’clock tomorrow evening, at Hamad bin Jassim Stadium in Doha, as part of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup finals.

“Al-Abyad” will go through the final training today, during which Romanian coach Elario Cosmin will focus on raising readiness in terms of tactical aspects, executing offensive and defensive sentences, in addition to fixed-ball exercises.

A source revealed to “Emirates Al-Youm” that the technical staff had settled on the squad and method of play with which it would face the Omani national team, after a careful follow-up of the match between Oman and Qatar that was held the day before yesterday, which ended in a scoreless draw.

Cosmin and his assistants monitored all the details of the Omani performance, taking notes on the strengths and weaknesses, in preparation for developing the most appropriate plan to confront the competitor.

The source pointed out that the defensive strength of the Omani team was one of the most prominent aspects that stopped the Romanian coach, after the red team showed great cohesion and tactical discipline in its confrontation with the Qatari team, which prompted Kuzmin to search for various offensive solutions to penetrate the Omani defensive organization.

The team’s training in Doha witnessed high morale among the players, who showed commitment and seriousness in implementing the directives of the technical staff.

In the final stage of preparations, Cosmin focused on enhancing harmony between the team’s three lines, while emphasizing the need to remain calm and focused throughout the course of the match.

Despite the secrecy imposed on the national team’s camp and training, the technical staff is more inclined to play in a 4-2-3-1 system, to control the middle of the field, and try to penetrate from the sides, to break the defensive “clumps” with which the Omani team is expected to start the match, similar to what it did against Qatar.

On the other hand, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) revealed the refereeing team that will officiate the match between the UAE and Oman national teams, in the second match of the Asian play-off qualifying for the World Cup finals. It will be managed by the Australian international referee, Ali Reza Faghani, assisted by George Lakrinidis and James Lidense, while the video technology (VAR) is supervised by Shaun Evans, with the assistance of Alexander King.

The match’s press conference is scheduled to be held this afternoon, during which the two teams’ coaches, Olario Cosmin and the Portuguese Queiroz, will speak, in addition to the two teams’ players.

The press conference will precede the technical meeting for the match, as the national team is scheduled to play in a white uniform, while the Oman national team will play in its traditional red uniform.

• The defensive strength of the Omani national team is one of the most prominent aspects that surprised the national team’s technical staff.

• Kuzmin is more inclined to play in a 4-2-3-1 system to control the midfield.