Mauritania coach Corentin Martins (left) arrives for pre-match press conference, yesterday. RIGHT: Yemen coach Ahmed Ali Qassem speaks to the media yesterday.
Doha: Mauritania will not take struggling Yemen lightly as the two sides get set to clash for the lone Group B spot in a qualifying match of the first FIFA Arab Cup at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, today.
Mauritania have shown a lot of improvement in recent years as the ‘Lions of Chinguetti’ jumped more than 100 places in the FIFA World Rankings between 2012 and 2017.
The African side, at 101 in the FIFA rankings, will start as favourites against Yemen, who are seeking a turnaround after their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 were shattered during the latest round of Asian zone World Cup qualifying in Saudi Arabia.
But coach Corentin Martins said both the teams will enter the pitch with an equal opportunity of qualifying.
“It is a difficult challenge, of course, because it is football and the chances remain equal,” the Frenchman told a virtual news conference yesterday.
“We have followed the Yemeni team and monitored it well in its recent matches. I can say that my team has good chance to qualify, provided the players give a good performance,” Martins added.
Mauritania star Adama Ba agreed only a good show will ensure a place for his side in the first FIFA Arab Cup.
“We have the potential to qualify for the Arab Cup but this does not mean that the match will be easy. We will have to play good football to win the match,” he told reporters yesterday.
The winning team of today’s match, which will kick off at 8:00pm, will join Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Syria in Group B, and Yemen see today’s match a great chance to make amends to their recent failure.
“We need to improve the image and qualify for the group stage of the Arab Cup,” Yemen coach Ahmed Ali Qassem said.
“Mauritanian team is a strong side and we have to work really hard in this difficult match,” the coach said before adding that his team stands a chance of winning the match.
“I see equal chance for both the teams. This is an opportunity for us to make our fans happy. We hope to meet their expectations.”
Yemen’s Abdelwesaa El Matari said: “The match is one opportunity that we should not waste, we must be careful and avoid making mistakes until we achieve what is required.”
