(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni sees the second Gulf Cup match for UAE against Saudi Arabia as one of the toughest hurdles in their quest to regain the title The Whites last won in 2013.
"The first round contests were pretty close for almost every team," the Italian coach told media on Sunday ahead of Monday's match against Saudi Arabia. The UAE won the first match 1-0 in not-so-impressive first match of the tournament.
"They (Saudis) have qualified for the World Cup in Russia and they have a very strong local league," Zaccheroni pointed out.
"The Saudi team had a good game against Kuwait. I will sit with my players to review strengths and weaknesses of the Saudi team through a video of the match between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait."
"Omar (Abdulrehman) is fully fit for the game but there are some other injury worries for the team," he revealed in reply to a question.
At the same time, he reckons that the Gulf Cup is the best opportunity for trying out new younger players in the team. "It is time to give them some experience here in Kuwait ahead of the Asian Championships."
"I have chosen the playing style that suits the players in the team," he stressed, adding that his approach was completely different while incharge of the Japanese national team. "I think the players have absorbed the new tactic, but they need more time to execute it successfully, and we have time to build a strong team before the 2019 Asian Championship," he added.
When asked about status of star striker Ahmed Khalil, the UAE coach said that the Al Jazira star has not trained for some time but has vast experience. "His participation against Saudi Arabia will depend on his own readiness to play."
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