As the UAE prepare to take on Kuwait in a vital Group B match, Mahdi Ali has hinted that there “may be several changes” to the team that was held to a scoreless draw by Oman on Friday, and that he has devised a plan to defeat today’s opponents.
“We have been studying Kuwait’s strengths and weaknesses, and we will be hoping to exploit them during the match,” he said.
The manager knows this is a match the UAE cannot afford to lose, even if the point from the first match means the UAE are guaranteed to enter the final group fixture, against Iraq on Thursday, in control of their destiny.
Mahdi Ali insisted that the UAE would have claimed all three points if not for some contentious decisions. “We hope luck will be on our side against Kuwait,” he said.
The UAE squad have, the coach said, used their two rest days to ensure the players are fully recovered, with those not involved in the first match taking part in the more strenuous training sessions as Omar Abdulrahman and teammates watched.
He also said that he will not concern himself with injuries in the opposition camp, nor Kuwait’s rich Gulf Cup heritage.
“The Kuwaiti team is very strong and has always performed well at these tournaments,” he said.
“But for us, this is a matter of history.
“Football repays only performances. If we’re talking history then we are the current champions, but the result will depend on what happens on the field.”
FIVE GAMES FROM HISTORY
We look at five significant Gulf Cup meetings between the UAE and Kuwait ahead of tonight’s match.
Kuwait 7-0 UAE, 1979
A low point for Emirati football came in Iraq. Former England manager Don Revie had been in charge of the national team for two years, and this humiliation was for many proof that his methods were not working. Within a year he was replaced by the Iran Heshmat Mohajerani.
UAE 2-0 Kuwait, 1984
The UAE’s first win Gulf Cup win over Kuwait came in Oman and helped the team finish fourth. The goals were scored by Saeed Abdullah and the rising star Adnan Al Talyani. After years of beatings at the hands of regional powers, the UAE were stamping their mark on the Gulf Cup.
UAE 1-0 Kuwait, 1988
The narrow win in Saudi Arabia, on a goal by Zuhair Bakheet, raised Emirati hopes of a first Gulf Cup. A defeat and two draws in the next three matches meant they finished second to Iraq.
UAE 3-2 Kuwait, 2007
Perhaps the most dramatic match of the tournament that ended with the UAE’s first Gulf Cup title. The Emiratis twice took the lead, through Ismail Matar and Faisal Khalil. Kuwait twice equalised through Bader Al Mutawa and Fahd Al Fahd. Matar scored an injury-time winner to send the UAE into the semi-finals.
UAE 1-0 Kuwait, 2013
The semi-final in Bahrain seemed destined to go to extra time when Ahmed Khalil, who had scored two late goals against Oman in the previous match, tapped in Abdelaziz Sanqour’s cross to give the UAE a 89th-minute winner and take them to the final. Three days later, they won their second Gulf Cup title.
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