Manama, Bahrain: Qatar will be aiming to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat against UAE, when they face Oman today in their Group A match at the Gulf Cup.
Qatar, coached by Paulo Autuori, must pick up points against Oman, who are coached by former Lyon and Glasgow Rangers coach Paul Le Guen, to have any chance of advancing to the semi-finals.
If Qatar lose today, they will exit the tournament.
After seeing his side lose against UAE, Autuori is hoping his team can react from the defeat.
“The last two times that we’ve lost we were able to react, so I’m hoping for a repeat of that,” said Autuori during a press conference yesterday.
“We didn’t perform or play well as a team against the UAE, and now my task is to try and repair this situation in time for the next game against Oman,” the Brazilian coach added.
Qatar defender Bilal Mohammad said he and his team-mates are eager to achieve a positive result against Oman today.
“This is an important game, which if we win, will keep us in the championship,” said Mohammad.
“We’ve corrected our mistakes that occurred against the UAE and will now work hard to achieve a positive result against Oman,” he added.
“But the game won’t particularly serve the interests of either team. Both will be cautious defensively but not for the full 90 minutes, because if you need to win you need to abandon your defensive block,” he said.
Autuori’s opposite number, Le Guen said: “Fortunes between Oman and Bahrain are still equal for second place after a draw in the first match.”
“Although we failed to open doors against them, neither team has lost hope of competing and gaining qualification to the second round. I still believe in them and hope we can have a fresh start against Qatar,” added the Frenchman.
The match at National Stadium begins at 4:15pm.
The match will be followed by the hosts Bahrain facing UAE at 7:15pm at the same venue.
THE PENINSULA
