Iraq return to action on Thursday as they look to strengthen their bid for a second World Cup and first since 1986 in their first-ever third-round clash.

After failing to qualify for Qatar 2022 at this stage, the Usood al-Rafidayn kicked off their latest bid in the second round, dominating Group F to finish top with a perfect record after opening with 5-1 and 1-0 wins over Indonesia and Vietnam respectively.

After an AFC Asian Cup campaign that ended in a last-eight defeat to Jordan, Jesus Casas' side returned to the qualifiers in March with 1-0 and 5-0 victories over the Philippines, and they continued to build on that in their final two matches in June, completing a double over Indonesia and Vietnam.

Having beaten the former 2-0 on their travels, the Usood al-Rafidayn then hosted Vietnam in their final match with a third-round berth already secured and finished on a high, completing a perfect record with a 3-1 win in Basra thanks to goals from Hussein Ali, Ali Jasim and Aymen Hussein.

Having won seven of their last eight matches since mid-January, Iraq will now be looking to build on their World Cup qualifying form and begin their third-round campaign with a home win on Thursday before travelling to Kuwait next week.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will also be looking to get off to a fast start in their third round group after a pleasing start to their latest qualifying campaign, as Oman continue their search for a first-ever World Cup group stage appearance.

Having reached this stage in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, where they missed out on the final round by just one point, they again cruised through the second round in their latest bid, finishing top of their group with 13 points.

The campaign also saw a change in management, with Jaroslav Silhavy taking over in February after Oman's group exit at the AFC Asian Cup, and after taking over with three points from two games, he oversaw three wins in his first three games in charge as Oman recorded a 2-0 win over Malaysia and a 3-0 triumph away to Chinese Taipei.

A final-round clash with second-placed Kyrgyzstan followed in June, and Silhavy's side held on for a 1-1 draw in Muscat after falling behind in the first half before Erzhan Tokotayev's own goal levelled the scores on the hour mark.

With their confidence boosted by a near-perfect start to life under their new boss, culminating in a top-flight finish last time out, Oman will now look to go one better than their last qualifying outing in this year's third round, starting with a crucial away win on Thursday.

Iraq possible starting lineup:

Hassan; H Ali, Tahseen, Sulaka, Younis; Amyn, Al-Ammari, Rashid; Hussein, M Ali, Jasim

Oman possible starting lineup:

Al-Mukhaini; Al-Shamousi, Al-Khamisi, Al-Musalami, Al-Busaidi; Al-Saadi, Al Alawi; Al-Sahbi, Al-Yahyaei, Al-Mushaifri; Al-Ghassani

Prediction:Iraq 2-0 Oman

Iraq vs Oman stream and TV listing

International：Holasports