(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Coach Djamel Belmadi has banned players from speaking to the media and the Qataris have been training behind closed doors ahead of their Gulf Cup semi-final against Oman today.
Karim Boudiaf, Ibrahim Majid and Hassan Al Haidos were all rested from yesterday's training session after playing all three group-stage games while Almahdi Ali was expected to captain the Qatari side today in place the injured Bilal Mohammed. Meanwhile, Mohammed Musa was likely to return to his right-back position.
The Qataris are certainly not taking their opposition lightly, especially after Oman's impressive 5-0 victory against Kuwait on Thursday.
"I think everybody understands the importance of this match. Oman put up a classy show two days ago and we are ready to counter that," said the Qatari national team's assistant coach, Sergio Romano, yesterday.
"In terms of preparation, we are ready and we are feeling good. We've got a group of enterprising young players and we have carried out our customary drills without hassles," he said.
Qatar were the second side from Group A to qualify for the semi-finals after three successive draws against Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Bahrain. Oman topped Group B by thrashing Kuwait 5-0 after draws against UAE and Iraq.
In today's other semi-final, defending Gulf Cup champions United Arab Emirates have the tough task of taking on Group A-toppers and hosts Saudi Arabia.
Ali Mabkhout scored twice against Iraq on Thursday - giving UAE the chance to defend their title, as three-time holders Iraq exited the tournament with only one point.
"We hope to produce a great game and a performance worthy of this competition. We're one game away now from the final, so our sole focus is on the Gulf Cup," said UAE coach Mahdi Ali
"In general, I'm very happy with what has been achieved so far. However, having qualified for the semi-final, we should be prepared and ready to fight in this match for a place in the final and we will be," he said.
Ali also expects that playing in front of a partisan crowd at the King Fahd International Stadium may also bring out the very best in his players as well as Juan Ramon Lopez Caro's Falcons XI. "The Saudi public are number one," he said. "It has been like playing in front of 85,000 people in the United Kingdom or South Korea for us. The audience will be a great motivation for the players and we hope that there will be a full house inside the ground."
The final will be held at the King Fahd International Stadium on Wednesday while the third-place play-off will be held on Tuesday at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium.
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