The national football team is entering the second round of the group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup today with high morale and great confidence, in order to maintain the lead of Group A against the Iraqi team, in the meeting, which will be held at 6:30 pm UAE time, at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.

The team had launched the tournament with a big victory in the first round on Yemen 3-0, while Iraq beat Qatar 2-1, and the «white» lead the goal difference against Iraq, each with three points, and in another meeting Yemen meets with Qatar today 21: 00 pm.

Al-Abyad is looking forward to the golden box of Gulf 24 by resolving the confrontation with Iraq, which makes the game of great importance to the team.

Al-Abyad's bet continues to attack the team's top scorer, Ali Mabkhout, a hat-trick against Yemen. The coach, led by Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk, prepared the team for this match, where he conducted two training sessions, during which he focused on addressing some of the negatives that emerged in the meeting with Yemen.

He and his staff also worked on studying the Iraqi team, to find out the weaknesses and strengths of the opponent, by watching recent recordings of the opponent, including the opening match against Qatar.

Marvik was keen to continue his approach in holding individual and group meetings with the players, to explain the technical details, and the distribution of tasks and assignments to each player, stressing the need to focus and away from making mistakes, especially since Iraq is characterized by a strong offensive line.

The team manager, Ismail Rashid, in a press statement, said that all players are on the Gulf challenge today, and continued: «win over Iraq will pave the way for white to qualify to the semi-finals, and enhance his chances to continue the journey to achieve the third title in its history in this tournament» . He called on the players to focus more, stressing the need to adhere strictly to the guidance of the coaching staff, and performance strongly, stressing the readiness of all elements, except Hamdan Kamali, who will be absent from the tournament due to injury without revealing its details, wishing him a speedy recovery to continue his bid with the rest of the players. Al-Kamali was saddened by his absence from the Gulf, but he was optimistic his teammates could go far. He said in a press statement: «I wish to continue giving with the team, and contribute to my effort to qualify for the semi-final, but the injury suffered deprived me of my duty on the pitch», adding that he would be supportive and encouraging his teammates until the desired goal. Al-Kamali recommended the white players to focus and fight strongly throughout the game of Iraq today, describing the meeting «Black Mesopotamia» difficult task, especially as the opponent appeared well in the opening, and managed to beat Qatar, and presented himself as the strongest competitors for the title.

Marvik: We will play an offensive ball. I know Iraq well

Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said the meeting was crucial because it would open the way for one of the two teams to reach the semi-finals. He said at the press conference yesterday: «I know Iraq well by virtue of facing him earlier when I was coach of the Saudi team». He stressed that he will play in a way that secures victory, and said: «We will play offensive ball, and will not park for defense». "The current team has a good future, and it's important for me to have our own style of play."

He explained that Al-Abyad did not have enough time to prepare in particular for this match, due to lack of time between the first and second games, adding that all teams are dealing with this situation, based on the compressed tournament schedule. He stated that the technical staff focused on the tactical aspect in preparing for the meeting. “In the past months we have started building a new team,” he said. “There are a number of talented young players, and it is important to give them the opportunity to participate, to give them the required experience.”

The order of the first group

1 - UAE 3 points (+3 difference).

2 - Iraq 3 points (+1 difference).

3.Diameter 0 (-1).

4.Yemen 0 (-3)