Oman coach Paul Le Guen has named former English Premier League goalkeeper, Ali Al Habsi, in Oman's 23-man squad for next month's AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
32-year-old Al Habsi -- a key member of Wigan Athletic's FA Cup winning team in 2013 -- plies his trade in the English League Championship following Wigan's relegation in May 2013 a few days after their maiden FA Cup triumph.
Former France defender and Paris Saint-Germain manager Le Guen announced his squad following a domestic training camp. 50-year-old Le Guen is looking to be the first Oman coach to lead the national team to the knockout stages of the elite continental competition. The West Asian country had qualified for the 2004 and 2007 editions of the competition but were knocked out in the group stages on both occasions.
Le Guen's task, though, is no easy one. Oman will need to qualify from a tough Group A which features regional heavyweights and two time winners South Korea and 2011 runners up Australia. West Asian neighbours Kuwait are the fourth team in the group.
Oman will take on China and Qatar in friendlies in Australia. Le Guen will use the two matches to decide on his starting line-up for the first group game against South Korea in Canberra on Jan. 10.
Squad: Ali Al Habsi (Wigan Athletic), Mazin Al Kasbi (Fanja SC), Mohannad Al Zabi (Al-Khabourah), Saad Suhail (Al Oruba), Jaber Owaisi (Al Shabab), Abdul Salam Amir, Ali Al Busaidi (Al Nahda), Ahmed Salim (Al-Nasr), Nasr Al Shimli (Al Oruba), Ali Salim (Dhofar), Mohammed Musallami, Ahmed Mubarak (Al Oruba), Hassan Mudhafar (Al Oruba), Ali Al Jabri (Fanja SC), Eid Al Farsi (Al Oruba), Raed Ibrahim (Fanja SC), Mohsin Johar, Said Al Razaiqi (Al Nahda), Mohammed Al Siyabi (Al Shabab), Imad Al Hosni (Sahad SC), Abdulaziz Muqbali (Fanja SC), Yaqoob Abdul-Karim (Saham SC), Qasim Said (Al Nasr)