Al-Abyad is armed with readiness, high morale, and Mabkhout's return

An “Arab” confrontation between the national team and Qatar with a Gulf flavour

Bandar Al-Ahbabi is one of the most important keys to playing in the national team.

From the source

The national football team will play at 11:00 pm today, UAE time, at Al Bayt Stadium in Doha, a strong confrontation against its Qatari counterpart in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Arab Cup, to win the qualification card to the semi-finals of the tournament, achieve a new achievement for Emirati football, and restore its luster again through This tournament, which was held in its first round, with the participation of 16 teams, of which eight qualified for the quarter-finals.

This match represents an exciting Arab-Gulf confrontation of heavy caliber between the two teams, and is the second participation of the national team in the Arab Cup, after participating for the first time in the tournament that was held in 1998, during which it ranked fourth.

The team is equipped for this match with readiness, high morale and seriousness in order to appear strong and honorable, leading to the next round of the tournament.

Although the Qatari national team plays at home and in the midst of its fans, Al-Abyad prepared well for this match in search of victory, knowing that the matches for this round are played by the defeated exit system.

And qualified for the quarter-finals, along with the teams of the Emirates and Qatar, each of Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Oman.

The technical staff of the national team, led by Dutch coach Van Bert Marwijk, is also counting on the distinguished performance of the team in this tournament, especially in the second half against the Tunisian team, despite the loss against it with a clean goal.

The return of striker Ali Mabkhout to the national team again, after he was absent in the previous match against Tunisia, represents an addition and a big boost for the team to excel in this match despite its difficulty.

The national team qualified for the Arab Cup quarter-finals, after it finished second in Group B with six points over the Tunisian team, which led the group by goal difference only, as Al-Abyad won two matches in a row against Syria 2-1, and Mauritania with a clean goal. And he lost in one match against Tunisia.

The team finished its preparations for the match after coach Marvik, who is aware of the importance and difficulty of this match, worked out a game plan commensurate with the strength of the match. Qatar national team defense.

He is expected to play the match with the same squad that he played in the Tunisia match, with minor changes represented in the return of goalkeeper Ali Khaseef and striker Ali Mabkhout.

The UAE and Qatar teams met on several occasions in the Gulf Cup, the Arab Cup, the World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup. The official meetings that brought them together amounted to 29 confrontations, and the last meeting between them was in the last Gulf Cup and ended with the Qatari team winning 4-2 and before that the Qatari team won the Asian Nations Cup 2019 that was held in the UAE with a score of 4-0, while the last victory was achieved by Al-Abyad over Qatar in the 2015 Asian Cup finals held in Australia and won 4-1 at the time.

The two teams met the last time in the Arab Cup in its seventh edition, which was held in the year 1998 and ended with the victory of the Qatari team 2-1, and the two teams combined only one friendly match that was held in Al Ain in the year 2011 and ended with the victory of the national team 3-1.

At the level of the Qatari team, led by Spanish coach Felix Sanchez, and includes in its ranks a group of players, it reached this role after winning the full mark by defeating Bahrain with a clean goal, over Oman with two goals against a goal, and over Iraq 3-0.

The Qatari team, the owner of the land and the public, in turn, are counting on the trio of Al-Moez Ali, Akram Afif and Hassan Al-Haydous.

Walid Abbas: Victory is required.. and the players will fight

The national team player Walid Abbas, who is absent from today's meeting, urged his colleagues to fight hard to win the quarter-final match against Qatar, and said in press statements that everyone understands the importance of the match and its difficulty at the same time, especially that the competitor is the owner of the land and will be supported by public support. big.

Ali Salmeen: Our goal is the semi-finals

National team player Ali Salmeen said in a press statement: "We seek to achieve the goal of qualifying for the semi-finals. All players are ready and fully prepared for the important meeting that brings together the two Gulf teams. The atmosphere is more than wonderful and the morale is high among the players."

Direct official confrontations between the two teams

■ Emirates win in 9 matches.

■ Qatar won in 13 matches.

■ A draw in seven games.

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