Following a request from the Oman Football Association (OFA), the FIFA has accepted to switch the forthcoming 2018 World Cup qualifier against India from the Seeb Sports Stadium to the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC).
The Group D match will be played on October 13 and will kick off at 6.30pm.
Confirming the venue switch, a senior OFA official said, “Oman coach Paul Le Guen had spoken about better pitch conditions at the SQSC. We had made a request and we are happy that it has been accepted. We are also aware that the large Indian expat community residing in Oman will be looking foward to watching their home country take on Oman in Muscat. So, we are expecting good attendance at the stadium.”
Oman hosts back-to-back qualifiers against Iran and India with the match against Iran to be played at the SQSC on October 8. The match kicks off at 6.30pm.
Iran currently leads the group with seven points from three games and is ahead of Oman on goal-difference. Le Guen's Red Warriors have also seven points, following two wins and one draw.
As part of Oman's preparations for the two matches, Oman will take on Syria on Friday in a practice game that will be closed to fans and the media.
India names squad
On Wednesday, India coach Stephen Constantine announced a 22-member squad for the back-to-back qualifiers against Turkmenistan and Oman. The players have been asked to report in Mumbai on October 4 as India will play Turkmenistan in Ashgabat on October 8 before clashing with Oman in Muscat five days later.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Karanjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; defenders: Arnab Mondal, Sandesh Jhingan, Aiborlang Khongjee, Dhanachandra Singh, Lalchhuanmawia, Narayan Das, Rino Anto, Pritam Kotal; midfielders: Eugenson Lyngdoh, Cavin Lobo, Sehnaj Singh, Jackichand Singh, Pronoy Halder, Francis Fernandes, Rowlin Borges, Bikash Jairu; forwards: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Robin Singh, Sunil Chhetri.
