Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: An air of excitement filled Oman’s skies as four-time World Cup champions Germany arrived at the Muscat International Airport on Monday night.
With Germany scheduled to play a friendly against hosts Oman on 16 November, there has been a soaring demand for the tickets as the football giants play their final fixture before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The match will be played at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) and will kick-off at 9pm and is expected to be a sold out fixture.
Following the friendly against Oman, Germany travel on to Qatar on Thursday.
Germany begin their Group E campaign at the World Cup against Japan on November 23 before meeting Spain in one of the most-anticipated games of the tournament and then Costa Rica.
Football fans in Oman will be hoping to watch a top-class performance from Germany as their head coach Hansi Flick is expected to select close to his first-choice XI for this match.
The match being a final warm-up game, Flick is expected to make changes in the second half to keep players fresh for the competition opener.
However, in a late concern for the coach, Barcelona stopper and goalkeeper Marc-Andreter Stegen is not travelling with the squad that departed for Oman due to a stomach illness, the German Football Federation said on Monday.
During the friendly against Oman, coach Flick may start with his regular defenders - Thilo Kehrer (West Ham United), Niklas Sule (Borussia Dortmund), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid) and David Raum (RB Leipzig).
Bayern Munich pair of Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane may operate on the wings with Chelsea’s Kai Havertz donning the role of forward.
Goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich will be the star attraction in the friendly, with Oman’s legendary Ali Al Habsi, also playing in the same role.
One of the popular strikers in the world, Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich, will likely have some time on the pitch but his teammate Jamal Musiala’s excellent form for Bayern Munich this season will give Flick the option against Oman.
Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, the dynamo in the central midfield, Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan or Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzkaare are likely to be in the starting XI against Oman.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund’s duo of Karim Adeyemi and YoussoufaMoukoko will all be hoping to get on the field for some minutes in this friendly.
The camp and the game has evoked a strong interest among the local and German media with reports of 250 journalists likely to attend the match on Wednesday.
The visiting team will have a training session at the SQSC at 5pm on Tuesday. For BrankoIvankovic’s Red Warriors, the friendly will be a good chance to play against one of the best teams in the world.
The national squad will have a majority of Seeb Club players, who recently brought glory for Oman by winning the AFC Cup title, the first time that an Oman club has ever won a continental level competition.
Flick will hope to end the final friendly fixture on a winning note ahead of their campaign in Qatar. A good run in Qatar with a name on trophy in the end may mean Oman to be a good choice for their last camp ahead of the World Cup.
