Muscat: The German team has reached Oman as part of their preparations for the World Cup. The team reached Muscat International Airport around midnight on Monday and received a warm welcome led by fans and others. Many people, including natives and foreigners, had gathered to catch a glimpse of the stars. The German team arrived in Oman on the basis of the agreement made by the president of the Oman Football Federation, Salim bin Saeed Al Wahaibi, with the German football authorities. An agreement has been reached with Germany in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
Under the guidance of coach Hansi Flick, the German squad will train on Tuesday evening at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. It is one of the best terrains in the region. Oman has a similar climate to Qatar. Therefore, the German military estimates that the training and warm-up competition here will be beneficial to the team.
Barcelona star and goalkeeper Andre Terstegen did not travel to Oman with a stomach ache. All other prominent players joined the team. Oman will also play a warm-up match with the national team on Wednesday. The match is at 21:00. After that, the team will go to Qatar on Thursday. Manager Hansi Flick is expected to field his first choice team. The manager can make many changes in the second half to give more players a chance. Many German fans, including the Malayalees, have already bought tickets for the match.
The German team has only faced Oman once in Muscat. Germany won the February 1998 match with two goals. Jürgen Koehler and Jörg Heinrich scored for Germany. Germany is the first team to qualify for the Qatar World Cup. They have won nine out of ten European qualifiers in Group ‘J’. If 36 goals have been scored, only four have been redeemed.
In Group ‘E’, their first round matches are against Japan on 23 November, Spain on 27 November and Costa Rica on 1 December.
Meanwhile, for coach Branko Ivankovic’s Oman, the warm-up presented a great opportunity to face a world-class side. Most of the national team are the players of the Zeeb club. The club, which recently won the AFC Cup, gave Oman a new title on the football field.
The Oman national football team is having a good training session at the Police Stadium in Muscat. All players have reached the national field. All the players who play in the various clubs have already joined the team camp. Oman Football Federation president Muhsin Bin Hamad Al Masroori and board member Qutaiba Bin Saeed Al Jilani were also present to watch Sunday’s training session.
