KUWAIT take on Saudi Arabia this evening in the opening match of the highly anticipated 23rd Gulf Cup.
The game is scheduled for a 6.30pm kick-off and it will be played at Jaber International Stadium in Kuwait City.
An official opening ceremony, to be held under the patronage of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, will precede the match at 5.30pm.
Eight teams are competing in the tournament. They have been divided into two groups for the preliminary round. Group ‘A’ consists of hosts Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE. Group ‘B’ includes defending champions Qatar, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain.
Kuwait’s Serbian head coach Boris Bunjak admits they will be facing a tough challenge against their Saudi counterparts, especially since the Kuwaitis have been banned from international competition over the past two years. He added however that he was confident his players would strive to get the best result.
Bunjak noted that Saudi had a lot of quality, having qualified for next year’s Fifa World Cup. Still, he hopes for his team to play well in front of their home crowd.
Kuwait are the most successful team in the Gulf Cup, having claimed the winners’ trophy 10 times in the past, most recently in 2010.
The Saudis, meanwhile, are set to field a young team under new Croatian coach Krunoslav Juric. More than a dozen players are expected to make their international debut in the competition, making for an interesting challenge for both their opponents and themselves.
In the other opening night fixture, scheduled for a 9pm start, the UAE take on Oman.
The Emiratis, winners in 2013 when the tournament was held in Bahrain, will be playing their first major international competition under Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni, while Oman’s Dutch head coach Pim Verbeek will have a good mix of young and veteran players, including legendary goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s national team continued their preparations last night for their opening match tomorrow against Iraq.
Having recently secured their qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Czech head coach Miroslav Soukup’s focus has been on the Gulf tournament, and he is determined to show that Bahrain have a bright future ahead in regional football.
Bahrain national team officials took part yesterday in the technical meeting ahead of the start of the event.
Bahrain Football Association president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said in a statement yesterday that the Gulf Cup was important for many reasons, especially since it helped raise the level of regional football.
Shaikh Ali also congratulated Kuwait’s football federation on the lifting of the Fifa ban and their hosting of this year’s tournament.
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