The Falcons have won this tournament three times before, with their latest triumph coming way back in 1996, while the Reds reached the knockout stage for the first time in the last edition in UAE five years ago.
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One of the pre-tournament favourites Saudi Arabia will kickoff their AFC Asian Cup 2024 campaign with a Group F fixture against Oman at Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday. The Falcons have won this tournament three times before, with their latest triumph coming way back in 1996, while the Reds reached the knockout stage for the first time in the last edition in UAE five years ago. Recently named hosts of the 2030 World Cup, Saudi’s planned path towards those finals includes claiming their fourth continental title under the stewardship of Italian Roberto Mancini.
— من المؤتمر الصحفي للمدير الفني ” @robymancio “برفقة اللاعب ” @salehshehri_11 ” 📸😍 pic.twitter.com/iV78WfG9Vc
— المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) January 15, 2024
Saudi Arabia secured second spot in Group E of the 2019 Asian Cup, before suffering a narrow 1-0 loss to Japan in the last-16 stage. Three years later, the Falcons produced the biggest upset of Qatar World Cup, defeating eventual champions Argentina in their opening fixture. Though Herve Renard’s side lost their remaining two fixtures to be eliminated in the group stage, victory over Lionel Messi’s La Albiceleste was a testament to the massive investment made by the nation in the football sector. Saudi’s ended the year 2023 with a perfect record in the 2026 World Cup qualifying, thrashing Pakistan 4-0 in their first outing under Mancini, who arrived in August. Few days later, Saudi attacker Saleh Al-Shehri netted a brace against Jordan to take all three points. Mancini’s side played three friendlies in 2024, recording victories against Lebanon and Hong Kong either side of a goalless draw with Palestine. The Falcons are now unbeaten in their last five outings, keeping as many clean sheets and recording four wins in the process.
Oman, on the other hand, thrashed Chinese Taipei 3-0 in their first 2026 World Cup qualifying fixture mid-way through November, but then suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Kyrgyzstan five days later. Nevertheless, the Reds ended 2023 with an impressive 2-0 win over China in a friendly, before edging past United Arab Emirates 1-0 last week. With three wins and as many clean sheets achieved from their last four outings, the West Asian nation will head into Tuesday’s fixture high on confidence. Moreover, Branko Ivankovic’s side are the second best (74) ranked nation in Group F, according to FIFA, with the likes of Thailand (113) and Kyrgyzstan (98) ranked way behind them.
Saudi Arabia probable starting lineup: Al-Najjar, Tambakti, Al-Bulaihi, Al-Saluli, Abdulhamid, Al-Malki, Al-Hassan, Al-Dawsari, Kadesh, Al-Shehri, Al-Buraikan
Oman probable starting lineup: Al-Rushaidi, Al-Yahmadi, Al-Khamisi, Al-Braiki, Al-Kaabi, Al-Aghbari, Fawaz, Al-Saadi, Al-Adawi, Saleh, Al-Sabhi
Saudi Arabia
| Opponents | Score |
| Hong Kong | 0-2 (W) |
| Palestine | 0-0 (D) |
| Lebanon | 0-1 (W) |
| Jordan | 0-2 (W) |
| Pakistan | 4-0 (W) |
Oman
| Opponents | Score |
| UAE | 0-1 (W) |
| China | 0-2 (W) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1-0 (L) |
| Chinese Taipei | 3-0 (W) |
| USA | 4-0 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Oman beat Saudi Arabia | 1-2 |
| Saudi Arabia beat Oman | 1-0 |
| Saudi Arabia beat Oman | 0-1 |
| Saudi Arabia beat Oman | 1-3 |
| Oman beat Saudi Arabia | 0-2 |
The AFC Asian Cup fixture between Saudi Arabia and Oman will take place at Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday at 11:00 pm IST.
| Saudi Arabia vs Oman | Key Details |
| Date | January 16 |
| Venue | Khalifa International Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Saudi Arabia | 8:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Oman | 9:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 8:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:00 pm |
The live telecast of the AFC Asian Cup matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Jio Cinema.
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