Qatari skipper Hassan Al Haydos speaks during a press conference held in Doha yesterday ahead of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup.
A title-triumph at the Arabian Gulf Cup will be icing on the cake for Qatar’s outstanding year on the field.
Hassan Al Haydos, who became the first Qatari captain to lift the Asian Cup title in the UAE in February, is aware of Al Annabi’s prospects of clinching a rare trophy double by winning the regional tournament.
The seasoned striker is also eager to achieve the feat, but, he doesn’t want to get over excited with the Gulf Cup kicking off today.
“We have this (trophy double) in our minds,” Al Haydos told a press conference ahead of today’s opening match of the Gulf Cup against Iraq.
“We will have to go step by step and focus on the coming match. We have to forget that we are the Asian champions. Right now we face Iraq in our first match and this is our focus. It is going to be a difficult match,” the Qatari captain said yesterday.
“The support of home fans will be a huge motivation for us as we target full points in the opening match. It is an important match,” he added.
He stressed that his team was focused and will not show complacency due to their superior form than their opponents in recent months.
“We do not think we are Asian champions because this (Gulf Cup) is a different tournament and we have to deal with each game separately,” the Qatari captain said before adding that his team is well prepared.
“Our preparation started early due to the ongoing qualifying games. It’s a special tournament for all of us and we are ready,” he said.
To a question, Al Haydos said his priority has always been to help the team.
“My goal is to lead the team to victory and I am not just thinking about scoring goals. As a team we believe in collective effort,” said the Qatari captain.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s Ali Adnan said despite a difficult build-up to the Gulf Cup, his team was ready to face an in-form Qatari side.
“Despite missing players due to injuries, our preparations are up to the standard. We had three training sessions and our morale is high. This is an important tournament for us and we are looking to start it on a positive note,” Adnan told reporters, yesterday.
“We have a tough group but we are not feeling any pressure. I hope we will do well in the tournament. We want to put smiles back on our Iraqi brothers by getting good results in the tournament,” he added.
The Iraqi player also reposed confidence in team selection by coach Srecko Katanec.
“All Iraqi players are important to us and the coach chose 23 players and everyone should respect this decision. All of us are able to raise the reputation of Iraq. Everyone here is ready to represent Iraq,” said Adnan.
