Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seeking to win a long-awaited title when they face off, on Tuesday, at Al-Enmaa Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, in the final of the Gulf Football Cup (Gulf 27).
On home soil and among its fans, Saudi Arabia reached the final for the first time since 2019, by defeating Qatar in the semi-final on penalties after a goalless draw in regular and extra time.
On Tuesday, Al-Akhdar will have the opportunity to regain the title that has been absent from its coffers since 2004, raising its tally to 4 titles and thus rising to second place on the list of teams with the most titles, sharing with Iraq and five behind Kuwait (10 titles, the last of which was in 2010).
On the other hand, the UAE aspires to win the third title after waiting 13 years, inspired by its strong performances in the current edition of the tournament, which climbed to the podium for the last time at (Gulf 21) in 2013 in Bahrain when it won its third title (the first in 2007).
The Greek coach of the Saudi national team, Giorgos Donis, praised the technical level and tactical discipline shown by his players during their journey in the tournament, especially defensively because their net remained clean as a result of the teamwork and great efforts they made.
He said after the victory over Qatar: “We faced a difficult team that played defensively, so creating chances was difficult. We succeeded in creating some, but we did not score, and this is normal in football.”
The Greek coach pointed to the impact of the pressure of the matches, adding: “In short and combined tournaments, fatigue is present. We must now focus on the last step, and we look forward to the support of the fans in the final, because their impact on us is great.”
Regarding the level and whether it is sufficient to achieve the title, the former coach of Al-Hilal, Al-Fateh, Al-Wahda and Al-Khaleej clubs said: “We must deal with each match separately. These are big matches, and it is not easy to face these teams in a short period of time. We are trying to give our best.”
He believed, "The best thing that has been achieved is that we played five matches at home and did not concede a single goal. This is a positive thing due to the players and their great abilities and potential. It is also important to have possession of the ball, and step by step we will create our own identity and continue to work hard."
On the other hand, the UAE, which defeated Oman 1-0 in the semi-finals, showed a great level under the leadership of its new Croatian coach, Zlatko Dalic, who took over the leadership of “Al-Abyad” a week before the start of (Gulf 27). However, he succeeded in finishing the group stage in the lead with 7 points after two wins and a draw, with eight goals scored for the first time since the tournament was held in a group system.
Al-Abyad also kept a clean sheet in three of the four matches it has played so far, and conceded one goal in a 1-1 draw against Qatar in the final round of the first round, during which it fielded a reserve squad after ensuring its qualification to the semi-finals.
Tuesday's final against Saudi Arabia will be the strongest test for coach Dalic's squad, who considered that his opponent "has additional strength by playing in front of his fans."
The UAE Football Association tried to narrow this audience gap, after it announced the flight of 12 private planes to Jeddah and the purchase of tickets for its fans, who are expected to reach 12,000 spectators, according to the quota allocated to them in the stadium.
Dalic, who knows Saudi football well through his leadership of Al-Faisaly and Al-Hilal clubs between 2010 and 2013, said: “We have a lot of respect for the Saudi team. It is strong and will play in front of its fans, so the match will be very difficult, and I expect a strong confrontation and a stadium full of fans.”
The Croatian coach said, "The lack of time represents a challenge for the two teams, and the most important thing (after the Oman match in the semi-finals) is to restore the players' readiness. We only have two days, but the Saudi team also played extra time in its match against Qatar, so it will face the same challenge in terms of fatigue."
He said: "We will analyze the Saudi national team and prepare for the match in order to provide a better performance than we did against Oman, and this is important for us."
The most successful coach in the history of the Croatian national team has a personal challenge, which is to overcome the final match jinx that has plagued him in major tournaments, after he won second place in the 2016 AFC Champions League with Al Ain of the UAE, and runner-up in the 2018 World Cup and the 2023 European Nations League with Croatia.
To achieve his goal, Dalic asked his players to perform at a higher level than they showed in the semi-final, saying: “The match (against Oman) was not the way I expected, and I cannot say much, because my team won, and this is the most important thing. But I feel that we can perform better, improve our way of playing and create opportunities, and I hope that our performance in the final will be better.”
The Referees Committee of the Gulf Football Association assigned the management of the final match to Moroccan referee Jalal Jaid.
He is assisted by his compatriots Zakaria Prinsi and Mustafa Akrakad, while Kuwaiti Abdullah Jamali is the fourth referee, and his compatriot Saud Al-Shamali is the fifth referee.
The Emirati team, Al-Abyad, is considered the strongest team in the tournament in attack, scoring 9 goals, while the Bahraini team is considered the lowest-scoring team, having scored only two goals.
On the defense front, the Saudi “Green” team is considered the strongest defensively, not conceding any goals, while the Bahraini team conceded the most goals, with 10 goals.
Omani Nasser Al Rawahi is currently the tournament's top scorer, scoring 3 goals.
The Kuwaiti team is the team that has won the most Gulf titles, followed by the Iraqi team.
