Tribune News Network
Kuwait City
Yemen’s coach Noureddine Ould Ali has warned that teams at the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup should be writing off giants Saudi Arabia at their peril. But says his team will be out to upset the football heavyweights at the Jabar Al Mubarak International Stadium on Wednesday.
Yemen lost 1-0 to Iraq in their opening Group B game, but World Cup finalists Saudi Arabia also fell 3-2 to Bahrain in their opener, meaning that Wednesday’s crucial night encounter is a must-win for both sides in their bid to qualify to be among the top two in the group.
"Beware of the wounded beast,” said Noureddine Ould Ali while speaking to the media on Tuesday.
"Saudi Arabia are a very respected team but are passing through some hard circumstances currently. Like us, they lost in the first round so have a very difficult mission, but, like Iraq, they are a strong team with some excellent players, particularly in midfield and attack. I know there are negatives, but I am not going to discuss them.”
The head coach said he was proud of his players following the opening match, believing they did enough to gain a point after conceding to Aymen Hussein’s header on a counter-attack.
The defeat leaves Yemen without a single ‘Khaleeji Zain 26’ win after 34 matches, but the head coach believes history can be made here in Kuwait.
"I am not going to blame my current players for the history of past results. Of course, we go into every match wanting to win. This generation has the talent to win and we will keep working together to try.
"I am confident in my players and hope the Yemen supporters will continue to support their sons here, particularly with all the problems at home with the league stopping,” he said.
Tomorrow’s match is the first of two on the night, and kicks off at 5.25pm, with the second being between Bahrain and Iraq kicking off at 8.30pm at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium.