Muscat: With just one point separating the sides in Group B, both teams are eyeing a crucial win to book their place in the next qualifying phase.

Palestine enter the decisive encounter on the back of a remarkable turnaround. After a winless run of seven games — four losses and three draws — Ihab Abujazar’s men revived their campaign with a stunning 2-1 win over Iraq on March 25, followed by a convincing 2-0 victory against Kuwait last Thursday.

Veteran midfielder Tamer Seyam opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, while Wessam Abou Ali sealed the deal from the spot in the 88th minute, lifting Palestine to fifth in Group B with nine points — just one shy of Oman.

Oman, however, missed a golden opportunity to secure qualification last week after a crushing 3-0 defeat to Jordan in Muscat. A hat-trick from Selangor FC star Ali Olwan saw Rasheed Al-Yafai’s side slump to third place, leaving their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

Before that setback, Oman had built strong momentum with three straight wins — including a 1-0 victory over Kuwait in March and friendly wins over Niger and Lebanon in May. They had lost just one of their previous six matches in 2025, a narrow 2-1 loss to Bahrain in the Gulf Cup final.

With history on their side — winning three of their last five encounters against Palestine — Oman will look to bounce back and seal a spot in the fourth round.