Gulf Cup 27 kicks off today
Hassan Musa
Gulf football fans are awaiting the “Gulf Derby,” which will pit the national team against Saudi Arabia at 9:00 p.m. today at King Abdullah City Stadium in Jeddah, in the first round of Group A of the “Gulf Cup 27” (Arab Gulf Cup). Preceding the “derby” is a match between Iraq and Oman at 5:30 p.m. at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, also in Group A.
Fiery
The clash between the Blue and the Green is a “derby” that Gulf fans have long anticipated, given the excitement and rivalry it carries. The national team’s Portuguese coach, Hélio Sousa, is well aware of the match’s importance, especially since securing all three points would provide the team with a significant morale boost and increase its chances of advancing to the semifinals.
Sousa selected 27 players for the Blue squad, including Khalid Al-Rashidi, Saud Al-Houshan, Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, Rakan Al-Saaid, Fahad Al-Hajri, Khalid Subah, Yousef Al-Haqan, Abdulaziz Naji, Abdulwahab Al-Owaidi, Rashid Al-Dosari, Muath Al-Zafiri, Mohsen Fallah, Reza Hani, Ahmed Al-Zafiri, Khalid Al-Murshid, Jasim Al-Mutar, Azubi Shihab, Abdullah Al-Qarzi, Nasser Falah, Mahdi Dashti, Eid Al-Rashidi, Yousef Majed, Mohammed Daham, Mubarak Al-Fanini, Abdullah Al-Owaidi, Shibib Al-Khalidi, and Yousef Nasser.
Appropriate Preparation
The Blue squad is considered the most prepared for the tournament, having started its camp on September 7 of this month with two training sessions in Kuwait before departing for the Qatari capital, Doha, where it held a camp until the 16th. During this period, it played a friendly match against Qatari club Lusail, winning 2-1. The team then arrived in Jeddah with a full squad, after eight Kuwaiti players had been absent from the initial camp due to their commitments with their clubs in the AFC Champions League 2. Meanwhile, the national team faced Yemen last Friday in a “split” match divided into four quarters, which Yemen won 2-1; the match saw the participation of all the Blue squad’s players.
The Blue squad will enter the match with a full lineup, following the recovery of Yousef Nasser and Mohsen Fallah. Sousa has been keen to put the final touches in place before the anticipated encounter, having confirmed the readiness of all players, which enabled him to determine the appropriate starting lineup and tactical approach for the opening match.
Home and Fans
The Saudi national team aims to leverage the advantages of playing at home and in front of its fans, utilizing them effectively to secure a positive start in the tournament.
Saudi coach Georgios Donis is aware that the Saudi public is eager to compete for the title, which has been absent from their trophy cabinet for 23 years. He hopes to benefit from hosting the tournament in the “Bride of the Red Sea” to enhance their chances of winning the championship, after failing to do so during their previous hosting in 2014. Despite the absence of prominent Saudi players such as Salem Al-Dawsari, Saud Abdulhamid, and Musab Al-Juwayr, Donis has at his disposal distinguished players like Ryan Hamad, Saleh Abu Al-Shammat, Zakaria Hawsawi, Ziyad Al-Juhani, Firas Al-Buraikan, Hassan Tambakti, Abdulilah Al-Amri, Nawaf Boushal, Hassan Kadish, Mutab Al-Harbi, Mohammed Kano, Abdullah Al-Khobairi, and Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
