RIYADH: After starting with a feisty draw against three-time winners Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup opener on Thursday, Qatar will go all out for a victory against Yemen today.
“We will play to win. There won’t be any half measures,” Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi said at a press conference yesterday.
“We saw that Yemen played well against Bahrain (on Thursday). So, we know the strengths and weaknesses of Yemen,” he said.
When reminded that Yemen would have loud support in the stands, thanks to a huge group of fans who are travelling with the team during the Gulf Cup, Belmadi said: “What matters is what happens on the pitch.”
“In general, the game will be tough as they are a good side. For us, this is a very important event as we are also looking at the Asian Cup (in January),” the Algerian said.
“I have asked my players not to repeat mistakes committed in the first clash,” said the man under whom Qatar have lost just once, to Peru, in eight matches. “When I took over as coach six months ago, I had lots of things to achieve. I think, we are moving in the right direction,” Belmadi said.
Qatar have won the Gulf Cup twice before, in 1992 and 2004. In the last edition of the tournament in 2012, they failed to get past the group stages.
This year, however, the team is coming off some impressive
victories but the absence of the injured Asian Player of the Year nominee Khalfan Ibrahim and goal-scorer Sebastian Soria will hurt them.
Ranked 178 by FIFA, Yemen are considered one of the underdog sides of the Gulf Cup. They have never won a game since they joined the format in 2003.
Their first game against Bahrain this year ended in a goalless draw.
In today’s other Group A encounter, hosts Saudi Arabia will play against Bahrain.
Today’s games are crucial for all four teams because all of them currently have a single point. The losers will find it difficult to progress further in the tournament. THE PENINSULA
