Saudi Arabia is preparing to face the UAE in the 27th Gulf final, focusing on set pieces

The Saudi national team concluded its preparations to face the UAE in the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup, “Gulf 27”, amid a clear focus on set pieces, which emerged as one of the expected weapons for “Al-Akhdar” in Tuesday’s match at Al-Enmaa Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

The national team players conducted their final training session, on Monday evening, under the supervision of Greek Georgios Donis, and began with warm-up exercises, then mini-maneuvers, before implementing a number of tactical sentences and concluding the training by practicing set pieces.

This aspect gains special importance after Denis confirmed during the press conference that his technical staff paid attention to set pieces offensively and defensively, while Croatian Zlatko Dalic, the UAE coach, described the Saudi national team as a team that is good at investing in them, calling on his players to deal with them with caution.

It is expected that fixed balls will be one of Saudi Arabia's means of penetrating the UAE's defensive organization, especially if the confrontation tends to close and the spaces in front of the penalty area are reduced.

In terms of injuries, Alaa Al Hajji and Zakaria Hawsawi continued their treatment programs accompanied by the medical team, without announcing their final position on participating in the match.

They are the last generation of Saudis to find their way to the podium in the Gulf Cup. More than two decades ago, specifically in the 2003 Kuwait edition, the “Green” stars won the third Gulf Cup in the history of Saudi Arabia, and since then generations have passed and that team has remained the last Saudi team to succeed in winning the title.

On the eve of the Saudi national team facing its Emirati counterpart in the “Gulf 27” final in Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat sheds light on the players of that generation, and where their paths took them after retirement. Some of them remained close to football through coaching and management, some of them moved to analysis studios, while others chose to stay away from the sports scene.

After 23 years of that coronation, all members of the team became champions of 2003 in their fourth and fifth decades of life, but their names return to the forefront whenever “Al-Akhdar” approaches the cup, as they were the last to lift it in the Saudi jersey.

It started with Mabrouk Zayed, the goalkeeper of that generation. He is 47 years old today and has moved away from daily work within the clubs, but he appears from time to time on sports channels as an analyst and art critic.

As for Ahmed Al-Dokhi, who is 49 years old, after his retirement he was not associated with permanent and clear sports work, and he largely stayed away from the forefront, with sporadic appearances in the media.

The same applies to defender Reza Tucker, who has reached the age of 50, as he did not go to a permanent job in clubs after the end of his career, but he appears in some media interviews.

On the other hand, Hamad Al-Montashari, who is 44 years old, chose to stay close to Al-Ittihad Club, where he made an important part of his career, and headed to administrative work, after previously appearing as a technical analyst.

Nayef Al-Qadi, 47 years old, worked in the administrative side after retiring, and had experiences in Al-Ahly and Al-Shabab, then turned to technical analysis through sports channels, while Omar Al-Ghamdi, who is the same age, found his way to sports studios by working as a technical analyst.

Ibrahim Suwaid, 52 years old, combined the experiences of training and television analysis, while Muhammad Nour, 48 years old, moved between administrative work in the federation and appearing as an analyst on sports channels.

One of the most prominent stars of that generation who maintained a continuous media presence was Yasser Al-Qahtani, 43 years old, who after retirement turned to technical analysis.

As for Muhammad Al-Shalhoub, 45 years old, he took a different path and chose training. He works as a coach for the Al Hilal U-21 team, being one of the names who transferred his experience from the field to the technical area.

There was no clear information available about continued sporting activity for Bandar Tamim, 44 years old, after retirement, while Manaf Abu Shuqair, 46 years old, became one of the names that appears in technical analysis.

Saud Al-Khaibari, 46 years old, moved away from the sports sector after the end of his career as a player, while Saud Kariri, 46 years old, continued his association with football. He worked for years in the administrative side of Al Hilal Club before heading to technical analysis.

Talal Al-Meshaal, 48 years old, chose to work in training within the Sunni sector, while one of the members of that generation was absent forever, Khamis Al-Owairan, who died in 2020 at the age of 46, after a career that remained present in the memory of Saudi football.

Abdullah Al-Waked is 51 years old today, and appears at intervals as a sports analyst and critic, while Saeed Al-Wadaani, 47 years old, stayed away from the scene for a long time after retirement, with limited appearances in separate media interviews.

As for Osama Al-Mawlid, the youngest member of the list at approximately 42 years old, he went through administrative experience in Al-Ittihad for a period before moving away, while Abdulaziz Al-Janoubi, 52 years old, headed to the technical field and worked as a coach after the end of his career as a player.

Mohamed Sharifi, 47 years old, took a different path from the majority of his colleagues, and went to work as a players’ agent, while Yousry Al-Basha, 47 years old, remained close to the clubs through administrative work at Al-Adala Club.

The confrontation with the UAE in the “Gulf 27” final brings back images of that generation. In Kuwait, during the “Gulf 16”, the Saudi team finished the tournament in the lead and won its third Gulf title, adding to the 1994 and 2002 titles.

Those who followed the careers of Greek Georgios Donis and Croatian Zlatko Dalic in Saudi stadiums did not expect the two coaches to meet again, not as rivals in a local confrontation between clubs, but rather as heads of the technical staff of the Saudi and Emirati national teams in the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27” in Jeddah.

The awaited confrontation carries a remarkable paradox. The two coaches leading both sides of the Gulf final had their experience in the region shaped through Saudi stadiums, before Dalic’s journey expanded in the Emirates and then reached the highest levels of international football, while Denis remained in direct contact with the Saudi player and the details of the local competition during multiple stops.

Denis took over the leadership of the Saudi national team in April 2026, succeeding Frenchman Hervé Renard, benefiting from his extensive knowledge of Saudi football, after working with a number of its clubs, and experiencing different levels of competition, pressures and aspirations.

The Greek coach's journey in Saudi Arabia began with Al Hilal in 2015, in an experience considered the most prominent in his local career, after he led the team to win the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, the Saudi Super Cup, and the Crown Prince Cup. Despite his success in returning the team to the podium, the experiment ended the following season after a decline in results, especially at the Asian level.

Denis returned to Saudi Arabia from Al-Wahda Gate in 2021, in a short mission during which he was unable to save the team from relegation, before moving to Al-Fateh, and offering him a different experience between 2022 and 2023. Under his leadership, the team was distinguished by its offensive tendency and ability to compete with major clubs, so the Greek coach re-presented himself as one of the coaches most knowledgeable about the details of the Saudi League.

Denis then went through a new experience with Al-Wahda, during which he led the team to the Super Cup final, before moving to the Gulf in his last stop with Saudi clubs. Thus, he did not reach the leadership of “Al-Akhdar” from one successful experience, but rather from a long journey in which he brought together clubs competing for championships and teams struggling to improve their position and survive.

After years, during which he faced fluctuations in results and the pressures of daily work in clubs, Denis moved to the highest technical position in Saudi football, and led the national team in the 2026 World Cup, before he became one match away from winning his first international title and returning the Gulf Cup to Saudi Arabia after an absence of 23 years.

On the other hand, Dalic reached the leadership of the UAE national team in August 2026, after 9 years with the Croatia national team, during which he achieved runner-up in the 2018 World Cup and third place in the 2022 World Cup. Despite the global image that was associated with him, the beginnings of his coaching rise were formed in the Saudi and Gulf stadiums before his move to the international stage.

Al-Faisaly had his first prominent stop in the region between 2010 and 2012, when he led the team to remarkable levels, and won the Best Coach Award in the Saudi League in 2011, after finishing the season in sixth place, in an experience that raised his name within Saudi football.

Dalic then moved to Al Hilal, where he started with the Olympic team before taking over the leadership of the first team in 2013, and succeeded in winning the Crown Prince Cup. His experience did not last long, but it constituted an additional station in his career before he left for the Emirates to lead Al Ain.

With Al Ain between 2014 and 2017, the Croatian coach lived one of his most successful stages at the club level, after he won the UAE League and the President’s Cup, and led the team to the AFC Champions League final in 2016. From that station, he moved on to lead his country’s national team, making the greatest achievement in its history by reaching Croatia to the World Cup final in Russia, and then winning a bronze medal in the Qatar World Cup.

After the end of his long trip with Croatia, Dalic returned to the Gulf through the UAE national team, and needed a short period to lead “Al-Abyad” to the “Gulf 27” final without losing, relying on his international experience and previous knowledge of the nature of the Emirati player and the atmosphere of Gulf football.

The Jeddah confrontation is not limited to the conflict between the two teams, as it also brings together two coaches who know the Saudi stadiums well, and have previously experienced its pressures and fluctuations, and both of them left Saudi clubs in previous stages, before returning now as the leader of a national team project searching for Gulf gold.

Donis relies on his tactical discipline and precise knowledge of the potential of the Saudi player, after he trained multiple generations in Al-Hilal, Al-Wahda, Al-Fateh and Al-Khaleej. On the other hand, Dalic enters the final with accumulated experience from major tournaments, the ability to manage elimination matches and deal with decisive moments, in addition to his knowledge of Emirati football that he acquired during his long experience with Al Ain.

Between Donis's desire to achieve his first title with the Saudi national team, and Dalic's ambition to begin his Gulf comeback with a championship with the Emirates, the Jeddah final presents a confrontation that goes beyond the boundaries of the field. The two coaches who made an important part of their name in Saudi Arabia are returning to it through the national team’s portal, in search of a cup that can only accommodate one of them.