UAE ready to take on ‘Lions’
abu dhabi — The UAE will face Iraq in the semifinals of the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait City on Tuesday night. And head coach Alberto Zaccheroni said the ‘Whites’ are ready to tame the ‘Lions of Mesopotamia’.
“It will be a difficult match. Iraq are a strong side with good skills and experience. The semifinal will be different from the previous encounters in the tournament as both teams will be seeking to enter the final with a win. Both teams will compete strongly to win,” Zaccheroni said during a press conference on Monday.
The coach seems to have great confidence in his players. The former coach of top Italian clubs and Japanese national team said he has raised the team’s technical level to clinch the semifinal match.
Interestingly, both the sides remain unbeaten.
Although the UAE haven’t conceded a goal they have scored only one. The UAE are second behind Oman in Group A with one win and two draws from the three matches played. In the group stages, the UAE were held to goalless draws by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — both matches that the Emirati side should have won. They finally got the better of Oman in the opening encounter (UAE TIME) through a 28th-minute penalty conversion by Ali Mabkhout.
In comparison, Iraq have topped Group B with two wins and a draw. More importantly, Iraq have fired at will so far. Iraqis thumped Qatar (2-1) and Yemen (3-0), and were held to 1-1 draw by Bahrain.
Even as Iraq have put six behind the net of their opponents, Zaccheroni
It will be a difficult match. Iraq are a strong side with good skills and experience Alberto Zaccheroni
said he has faith in his defenders to hold tight.
“We haven’t conceded a goal so far. We will secure our defence and pick a win,” the coach said.
Zaccheroni clarified that he hasn’t deployed any defensive strategies but only approached the game with need-based model. “I didn’t adopt the defensive approach. My plans are always balanced. With my long experience of training, I do not rely on the defence always. We enter all the games with aim to go for the victory, which is achieved by the offensive method.”
It will be a test of temperament and character for the UAE defenders, who have so far done a decent job.
Meanwhile, Al Jazira striker and the only goal-scorer for the UAE Ali Mabkhout said the players are in high spirits. “We are ambitious. Our morale is high. We are ready to confront Iraq,” he added.
In the first semifinal, Group A winners Oman will play Bahrain at Jaber International Stadium. Later, the UAE will take on Iraq at the same venue.