Oman national team manager Pim Verbeek confirmed that his men are fully ready to make the Omani fans happy in the Arabian Gulf Cup final game. “Everyone is very excited to play the final, it will be a big derby for all the fans. My players will give their best to clinch the title,” the Dutchman said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the UAE clash. It kicks off at Jaber International Stadium on Friday at 19:30.
“Gulf Cup is like the World Cup for the GCC region, and we are desperate to take the cup back to Oman.
“It will be a tough game because the UAE have kept a clean sheet for all the four games. For me, they are the best defending team, it will be a challenge to score goals against them but we have to keep clean sheet as well,” Verbeek said.
“Emirates were a bit surprised by our performance in the opener, but I don’t think so there will be any surprise in the final because we both watched all four games and analysed them very well.”
The Dutchman emphasised that his men are fully prepared and confident ahead of the game.
“We are relaxed, my team is physically fit and ready to play. We did very well in the previous games so this increased our confidence. If we are not confident it’s better to go back to Oman.”
“We know the strengths and the qualities of the UAE team as well as their weaknesses, so I prepared my team very well considering all these aspects.
“Being in the final game of the tournament is the greatest motivation for all of us,” he added.
Verbeek also commented on the conservative style of play they showed in the tournament, saying that, “I think my team play an attacking football. It’s not a defending team at all, and this is the only way to takeover the UAE.
“Its impossible to play all the games of the tournament in the same level. The players got tired and this what happened against Bahrain but still we didn’t give any goals away. I know that Emirates players are more expert in the big games as they had played many World Cup qualifier games in last two years but my players are ready to fight for the cup,” Verbeek concluded.
On the other side, UAE team manager Alberto Zaccheroni expressed his trust in the UAE’s capabilities to win a third Gulf Cup.
“We are very excited for this game. All the players are in their best morals and we will work to delight the UAE fans,” Italian Zaccheroni said.
“We are confident of being able to win the 23 Arabian Gulf Cup.
“We respect the Oman team because they showed the highest performance level among all teams, and they deserve to be in the final,” he said.
The Italian manager also spoke about his tactics which are new to Emirates team.
“I really appreciate my players because they adapted to my tactics in a very short period. This will help us to become stronger,” the former Japan manager said.
The UAE reached the final without scoring any goal except a penalty against Oman.
“I’m not worried about my attacking side because in every game we created chances. So, I’m fully confident that we will find the net.”
Jaber Al Ajmi
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