Paulo Bento plays down UAE's Arabian Gulf Cup favourites tag ahead of Kuwait clash

All four teams in Group A are on level points after two 1-1 draws in opening round of matches

UAE manager Paulo Bento saw his team draw with Qatar in their Arabian Gulf Cup opener. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE manager Paulo Bento has played down the idea that his team are favourites to win the Arabian Gulf Cup ahead of their Group A clash with Kuwait on Tuesday.

The national team started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Qatar at the Mubarak Al Hamad Stadium in Kuwait on Saturday, while the host's opening match against Oman ended in the same scoreline.

Bento's side went into the tournament in superb form having beaten Kyrgyzstan 3-0 and Qatar 5-0 in successive World Cup qualifiers suggesting that they were in a perfect place to secure the crown for a third time, having previously lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2013.

But the Portuguese coach, who took charge of the UAE in July 2023, insisted ahead of the game at Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium that his team will not be affected by the expectations of others.

“There are no favourites in the Gulf Cup. All those here can win this competition and we are just one of them,” Bento said.

“It’s not important that we are favourites or not, and I don't feel any pressure on that. I also can’t control the expectations and the opinions that come from other people.

“It’s true that it's the first time I am in this competition as a coach, but my staff and I bring experience of the World Cup, European Cup, Asian Cup, East Asian Cup.”

Striker Fabio Lima – who scored four goals in November's sensational drubbing of Qatar, including a first-half hat-trick – admitted the UAE missed a “golden opportunity” to defeat the same opposition out in Kuwait.

They dominated the game for large parts, enjoying 61 per cent of the possession while registering 12 shots to Qatar's two, but had to come back from a goal down having fallen behind to a 17th-minute penalty from Akram Afif before Yahya Al Ghassani levelled in first-half injury-time.

Next up will be 10-time champions Kuwait, who took the lead against Oman thanks to a finish from Yousef Nasser – who is fourth on his country's all-time top scorers list with 52 goals in 113 matches – in the 34th minute only for Issam Al Sabhi to level eight minutes later in front of more than 42,000 fans at Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium.

“It’s a difficult match,” said Bento. “So, we try to do the best we can to plan our strategies and allow the players to recover as we have a tight schedule that gives us just 72 hours to prepare for the next game.

“It’s not ideal but that’s what it is. We don’t have control over the scheduling and the rules of the competition. We have to prepare as best we can and get on with the matches.

“We have worked more or less almost for one year in and out and we already have a good understanding as a team and, of course, we will try to take advantage of that.”

The final round of group-stage matches takes place on Friday when the UAE tackle Oman at the Sulaibikhat Stadium while Kuwait are back at Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium to take on Qatar.

The last-four matches both take place on December 30 followed by the final on January 3.