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UAE face tough test from Qatar
Reigning champions UAE can book their place in the semifinals of this year's Gulf Cup by beating Qatar in today's all-important Group B match.
- By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:38 January 7, 2009
Doha: Reigning champions UAE can book their place in the semifinals of this year's Gulf Cup by beating Qatar in today's all-important Group B match.
But the UAE will have to be cautious.
Qatar have proved their mettle against the mighty Saudi Arabia.
They were lucky to escape their match with Qatar with a single point following their goalless draw.
The fact that Bruno Metsu, the former coach of the UAE, is now incharge of Qatar and will lead them against his former team, which he left only three months ago, cannot be ignored.
"I don't need to watch the UAE, I know all their players, even the new ones." Metsu told Gulf News when he was asked if he had watched when the team played friendly matches against Iraq and Kuwait.
Added to that is Qatar's tactical awareness, discipline and the speed of their players.
Thier talents forced Saudi Arabia to retreat and defend their own goalline from the pressing Qatari attacking tides.
But the UAE team remains confident ahead of the match.
"Qatar has a good team but so do we." Abdul Rahim Jumaa, UAE's dynamic midfielder, told Gulf News.
"We have good players with both experience and determination in addition to talent.
"We know that Metsu knows a great deal about our team," said the midfielder.
He added: "But we also know everything about them and on the field the players and their fighting spirit will decide who wins the points.
"We are highly motivated and we will do our best to win promotion to the semifinals before our next match.
"This fact will pile pressures on them because even if we lose, we will have another chance.
"But they know that if they lose even a point their chances will be largely damaged." Dominique Bathenay, the UAE head coach, is expected to play either Mohannad Al Enazy or Hamdan Al Kamali in central defence alongside Mohammad Qasim.
The team will need a defender with good aerial ability to mark Sebastian Soria, the Qatari striker.
Esmail Mattar is expected to start the match with either Mohammad Omar or Mohammad Al Shehhi.
The rest of the team that started against Yemen is expected to be unchanged.
There is a slight chance that Mohammad Ebrahim might be on the substitute bench.
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