Almahdi Ali Mukhtar (left) and his Qatri team-mates gesture during a training session at Aspire zone in Doha.
Qatari defender Almahdi Ali Mukhtar is expecting a fierce battle among the eight teams, which will begin their quest for Arabian Gulf Cup glory tomorrow.
The 27-year Aspire Academy product said that all the competing teams are ready to give their best at the 24th edition of the prestigious regional tournament.
Asian champions Qatar will start their campaign against Iraq tomorrow.
“The competition will not be easy as all teams have prepared well. All eight teams are currently participating in the joint qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and the Asian Cup 2023. Two important rounds in the same qualifiers just got over. All teams are in good form and it confirms that the race for the Gulf Cup title will be fierce,” said Almahdi.
The Al Sadd defender, however, stressed that his Qatari team-mates will go all out to give their best as they chase their fourth Arabian Gulf Cup title. Qatar have won the coveted titles in 2002, 2004 and 2014.
“Despite the strong competition, we should note that we are playing on familiar conditions, especially as the tournament is being held here in Doha in front of our home crowd. I believe we will receive a lot of support from them and I am confident that will make the difference,” Almahdi said.
“However, the task will not be easy,” Almahdi said.
Qatar will are pitted in Group A along with UAE, Yemen and Iraq.
The home team, coached by Felix Sanchez, will be looking to fire on all cylinders against the strong Iraqi team when the two teams meet in the tournament opener tomorrow.
The match against Iraq who are currently placed 74th in FIFA Rankings, will kick off at the magnificent Khalifa International Stadium at 7:30pm.
“All our focus is now on the opening match of the Gulf Cup against Iraqi team in order to get the first three points, which is very important. They have played very well in their recent appearances and have provided good levels of football in the joint qualifiers. It is very important to take a good start to the tournament and we will be looking forward to a positive result so that we would not to find ourselves in front of additional pressure,” Almahdi said.
“We believe in ourselves and our ability to deliver decent levels of football. That is our goal,” Almahdi added.
After the opening match, Qatar will have a two-day rest before meeting Yemen at the same venue on Friday, November 29.
Qatar’s third group match will be on December 2 against UAE.
Meanwhile, last year’s Asian Footballer of the Year and Almahdi’s Al Sadd team-mate, Abdelkarim Hassan has expressed his happiness on returning to the ranks of Annabi again and took to twitter to thank the Qatar Football Federation President.
“All thanks to H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, President of the Football Federation,” the 26-year-old left-back posted
Qatari midfielder Abdullah Al Aharq emphasised that the presence of home fans will increase Al Annabi’s enthusiasm.
The midfielder said it would be great to see if Qatar bags their fourth Gulf Cup title.
“Our loyal fans deserve the Gulf title. We can win the championship thanks to their support. They support us in every game and it is good see the presence of Qatari fans.
The presence of our fans at Khalifa International Stadium in the opening game against Iraq tomorrow will definitely be a great moral booster which will increase our determination and enthusiasm. It will also help us to exert all our efforts to win the all-important first meeting,” Al Ahraq said.
