Doha: Kuwait coach Thamer Enad stated the main objective for Kuwait is to pocket the winning points against Bahrain. “It is a semifinal match for us. We want to bring the team to the winning route after a shock loss against Oman in the previous match. Bahrain have very talented young players. I am expecting a tough game. The winner will qualify for the next round,” Enad added during the pre-match conference on Sunday.
Kuwait’s striker Shabib al Khaldi pointed out that the next match is an early final match for the team. “We will do our best to win in the match,” he said. Kuwait, who are 10-time winners of the Gulf Cup, will look for a crucial win to move ahead in the tournament. “All the 23 players in the squad are in same level of readiness. We do not have any excuses for exhausting players. I have experienced players and new young faces,” Enad added. The local Kuwaiti coach affirmed Bahrain is a champion of the West Asian tournament.
“They have good quality of players and a professional coach. We will deliver top performance in the game,” he added. Coach Enad acknowledged Kuwait’s weakness in the beginning of the match. “We did not perform well and after conceding a goal the team began to give their best. We will try to develop this area,” Thamer Enad concluded. Bahrain coach Bahrain coach Helio Sousa told the reporters during the press meet the team is in a must win situation in the next game to keep their chances alive in the tournament.
“It will be a hard game against Kuwait. Our target is clear and do our best to win the match,” the Portuguese coach said. Commenting on a question for changing more than 11 players in Saudi match, coach Sousa said: ”I came to Doha for competition and to prepare the team well for the upcoming tournaments. Our aim is to be much stronger further than the previous match. We lost against top teams in Asia.” Experienced Bahraini player Sayed Mohammed Jaffar said: ”Preparation is going well and we keep our eyes on the win result. We will deliver our best in Kuwait match.”
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