Saudi or Kuwait face shock early exit

Abu Dhabi: For Yemen to finish bottom of the second group at the Gulf Cup is no surprise.

Their team is the least experienced and least prepared in the competition and, while they are still fighting to make a name for themselves in the Gulf Cup history, they were placed in a group that featured three teams that won 16 of the past 20 versions of the regional tournament.

Kuwait have won the Gulf Cup ten times — a record — while Iraq and Saudi Arabia have won three times each.

But the fact that either Kuwait, the defending champions, or Saudi Arabia, who have been runners-up in each of the last two tournaments, will accompany Yemen back home is the big news.

Kuwait will face Saudi Arabia on Saturday night in a replay of the final match of the 20th Gulf Cup, which was held two years ago in Yemen, when the Kuwaitis won with a single goal to take the trophy for the 10th time.

But this time they face the Saudis to win promotion to the semi-finals after Iraq became the proud leader of the group following their two victories over Saudi Arabia and the Kuwaitis.

Iraq are not expected to go down to Yemen on Saturday with due respect to their opponents, who have failed to score even a single goal in their two matches while conceding four.

The Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia game has always been the Gulf derby and was overshadowed only by the Gulf “clasico” between Kuwait and Iraq, since the 1970s, when Kuwait dominated the first four versions of this tournament before Iraq won the fifth edition.

Kuwait have won all three editions of the tournament previously held in Bahrain — in 1970, 1986 and 1998 — and they will have to beat the Saudis first to reach the semi-finals in their quest to break their own record and win the trophy for the 11th time.