Qatar confident ahead of Bahrain clash
Kuwait, December 29, 2017-Defending champions Qatar have planned an all-out assault when they take on Bahrain in their third and final Group B clash at the Gulf Cup today, Coach Felix Sanchez declared.
A win today will take Qatar into the semi-finals of the eight-team tournament though a draw will be enough to secure Bahrain their last-four berth.
In their two matches, three-time Gulf Cup champions Qatar have beaten Yemen 4-0 but Al Anabi lost to Iraq 2-1 after a feisty battle on Tuesday.
Bahrain, coached by Miroslav Soukup, drew with Iraq 1-1 in their opening game but edged Yemen 1-0 in their second clash to be one point ahead of the 2014 Gulf Cup champions.
Qatar coach Sanchez has urged his players to go for a winning performance.
“I am 100 percent sure we will play an aggressive game tomorrow and get the result we are looking for. We have to go for the win," Sanchez said yesterday. “The team is motivated to face the final (game of the preliminary stage).
“We are motivated to play well and to get the result we need I think so far the team is in a positive frame of mind," the Qatar coach said.
Sanchez said Qatar's 2-1 loss against Iraq had many positives for his young side. “The team showed great personality in the match against Iraq. They (the players) tried to perform to the best of their ability. We could not win in the second game but I know they tried hard. They gave their best on the pitch. The team is fit and hopefully we will do better against Bahrain," Sanchez said.
The Qatar coach - who has coached most of the U-23 players in the national squad - said his team still has a day to rest and recover for the crunch match at Kuwait Sports Club Stadium.
“In think it is a short tournament. So many matches are played within a short period of time. Only thing we can do is recover as fast as possible after every game. Physically we still have one more day to rest and recover before we take on Bahrain," Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the Iraq clash was a battle that tested his team to the fullest.
“I think in the game against Iraq, we faced a situation where the team played a high level of football which was good. We needed to play direct but we could not. It was difficult to keep the ball in possession, especially when we reached the last stretch (of the second half)," Sanchez said.
“They had the counterattacks and sometimes the game was broken for us since they dominated. We needed to take risks to get a point and we tried to do that. It was difficult for us to have the control of the match even though we tried to do it. Unfortunately we couldn't get the result though we almost managed to score the goal in the end," he said.
Bahrain coach Soukup said Qatar clash would be a big battle.
“We respect their quality because they are the 2014 Gulf Cup champions. They have very good players and don't forget we saw their game against Iraq (on Tuesday). The quality was evident on both sides. Qatar had a chance to win the match. They scored first," Soukup said yesterday.
“Compared to Qatar, our situation is still positive since we have one more point than Qatar. We also have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals since we want to repeat Iraq performance we had in the first match of the tournament.
“We know a lot about Qatar and clearly we don't want to discuss those things here in the press conference. We discuss those things in the team meetings. We want to do a good job. It is 0-0 for both teams. Like I said, we want to repeat the performance we had against Iraq," Soukup added.
When asked about team tactics or player changes, Soukup dismissed the question with a smile.
“We have no injury issues. That much I can say. We also know the quality of our opponents. Qatar vs Iraq was about quality of defenders," Soukup said.
Soukup said his team won't play for a draw, a result that would take them to the last-four stage of the tournament.
“I don't think we will play for a draw. I am a bad coach because I can't plan for a draw. I want to win matches. I cannot tell players to play for a draw. That would be incorrect from my side. My motivation should be to win. If we think like that before a game then I think we will lose. I have told my players not to play for a draw," Soukup said.
The match begins at 6:30pm today. Also, Iraq will play bottom-placed Yemen in another Group B clash.
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