Former Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek will take on his former side when Oman and Australia face off in Dubai at Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium on December 30.
Both nations will be competing at the Asian Cup which kicks off just a week after their friendly and they will be keen to shake off any cobwebs.
These two sides last met at the 2015 Asian Cup with the Socceroos claiming a 4-0 win with Oman beating Australia just once across their eight previous meetings.
| Game | Australia vs Oman |
| Date | Sunday, December 30 AEDT |
| Time | 11.00pm AEDT / 4.00pm LOCAL |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In Australia, the match can be watched live on Fox Sports through the Foxtel platform and via free-to-air on Channel 10.
You can stream the game through either the Foxtel Go, Play or Kayo platform - just bear in mind those services are subscription based.
| AUS TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Fox Sports/Channel 10 | Foxtel GO/Play/Kayo |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Australia players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ryan, Vukovic, Langerak |
| Defenders | Sainsbury, Behich, Gersbach, Jurman, Milligan, Risdon, Degenek, Grant |
| Midfielders | Luongo, Jeggo, Amini, Irvine, Mabil, Rogic |
| Forwards | Leckie, Boyle, Nabbout, Maclaren, Kruse, Ikonomidis |
The Socceroos are without both Aaron Mooy and Daniel Arzani for this match and the Asian Cup through injury.
In their place, Perth Glory star Chris Ikonomidis and Austrian-based James Jeggo have been handed call-ups.
Mark Milligan will captain the side in the UAE with the Socceroos still looking for a reliable goal scorer in the wake of Tim Cahill's international retirement.
Coach Graham Arnold has stressed this friendly is an ideal chance to get players short on game time with their clubs up to speed so expect the likes of Trent Sainsbury, Andrew Nabbout and Jamie Maclaren to feature heavily.
| Position | Oman players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ammar Al-Rushaidi, Faiz Al-Rushaidi, Ahmed Al-Rawahi |
| Defenders | Mohammed Al-Musalami, Mohammed Al-Rawahi, Mohammed Al-Balushi, Saad Al-Mukhaini, Khalid Al-Braiki, Ali Al-Busaidi, Mahmood Al-Mushaifri |
| Midfielders | Ali Al-Jabri, Raed Ibrahim Saleh, Mohsin Al-Khaldi, Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri, Jameel Al-Yahmadi, Mataz Saleh, Harib Al-Saadi, Yaseen Al-Sheyadi |
| Forwards | Khalid Al-Hajri, Mohammed Al-Ghassani, Muhsen Al-Ghassani, Mohammed Al-Hosni |
Oman's most recognisable name in the form of star goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi will be missing for this friendly and the entire Asian Cup through injury.
Betting & Match Odds
Australia are strong favourites heading into this match with a Socceroos win valued at $1.25, a draw at $5.50 and an Oman win at $13.
Despite Oman's strong defensive record, goals are expected to flow by the bookies with over 2.5 goals being struck going at odds of $1.80.
The most likely result will see Australia win by a one-goal margin, though a 3-0 win isn't bad value at $7 - the same scoreline the Socceroos posted last time out against Lebanon.
All odds courtesy of Bet365 and correct at the time of publishing.
Match Preview
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The Socceroos are yet to lose under Graham Arnold and they won't be banking on a slip-up against Oman leading into the Asian Cup.
While rocked by an injury to Aaron Mooy and sweating on the fitness of Mathew Leckie, the green and gold are backing themselves to defend their Asian Cup crown in the UAE.
An important first step towards that will be finding a way to dispatch an Oman side yet to lose in 2018.
Under Pim Verbeek, The Reds were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw last time out against India but had strung three straight victories together prior to that.
Oman's last loss in fact dates back to December 2017 when they fell 1-0 to the UAE - a side they beat on penalties just two weeks later to claim the Arabian Gulf Cup.
With Australia searching for a reliable goal scorer, Oman won't be making life easy for Socceroos attackers having kept 10 clean sheets across their past 14 games and not once leaking more than one goal in a match during that span.
The friendly will likely give the green and gold a taste of what to expect at the Asian Cup as Oman sit back and force the Socceroos to take the initiative - something Arnold will be hoping a number of his players do take ahead of a massive month.
