Spaniard Julen Lopetegui confirmed that he will be keen to monitor all information related to his opponent in the 27th Gulf Cup semi-final in Jeddah.
The Qatar coach stressed the importance of focusing on details during the confrontation with the UAE on Wednesday, stressing that the competitor is considered one of the most prominent candidates in the tournament.
He said: “The UAE national team is one of the most important candidates, and we must focus on ourselves, and we will take care to focus on the minute details. "We don't have much time to prepare, but we must be ready."
He touched on the change in Akram Afif’s position during the recent matches, after he appeared more deep in the field in terms of attack, explaining that the player made sacrifices in order to serve the team in this position.
He added: “Akram Afif made a number of sacrifices by playing in this position. He is a player who can score, and we created many chances. I am happy with his performance and the performance of the rest of the players.”
The Qatar national team coach stressed that he was not concerned about Afif’s position deep in the field, stressing the necessity of maintaining the team’s collective performance, as it is the most important factor in the next stage of the tournament.
In turn, Croatian Zalatko Dalic, the coach of the UAE national team, stressed his adherence to his technical plan before facing the Qatar national team, stressing that his main goal is to achieve victory.
During the press conference for the match, Dalic spoke about the possibility of changing his plan, explaining that this is not his style, and that the team seeking to win the title must be prepared to win against any competitor.
The UAE coach said that he is following the teams of Group A, stressing that all participating teams possess competitive capabilities, and that the semi-final confrontation will be against a team that has previously participated in the World Cup.
Dalic touched on the atmosphere within the UAE national team, noting that there is a state of solidarity and motivation among the players, describing the group as “one family.”
He added that he expected to reach this level after about 6 months of work, but he expressed his happiness at achieving significant progress in just 10 days, which, from his point of view, reflects the positive spirit that prevails in the team.
Regarding the technical and physical preparations, the Emirates coach confirmed the presence of some fatigue among the players, in light of playing a match every three days, explaining that the pressure of matches represents a challenge for the technical staff, which seeks to deal with it by giving the opportunity to some elements who did not participate regularly.
Dalic revealed Cesar's absence from the match against Qatar, due to his injury, stressing that his absence represents a loss for the team due to his distinguished capabilities.
He stressed the importance of the Gulf Cup and the strength of the upcoming confrontation, pointing out that the players are well aware of the extent of the responsibility placed on their shoulders, and that they do not need additional motivation, in light of everyone’s desire to achieve victory and continue the journey towards the title.
For his part, Ali Sal, the UAE national team player, said that all the players are in a state of intense concentration before the match.
He added in the press conference: “We have a great focus before facing Qatar, and we seek to provide a performance that satisfies the Emirati fans in order to achieve victory.”
Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national team, praised the players’ performance after the landslide victory over the South Sudan national team, 5-0, in the qualifiers for the 2027 African Cup of Nations.
Hossam Hassan said in the press conference after the match that was held on Tuesday in Juba: “I am very happy with the result and the team’s performance. All the players performed what was required of them, whether the starters or the substitutes.”
He added: “Confronting South Sudan was not easy. They were not a bad team, but we dominated thanks to our focus, the hunger of players, the method of playing, and the skill in studying the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.”
The Pharaohs national team coach said, “The victory was achieved in difficult circumstances, especially in light of the high temperatures and not being accustomed to playing matches on artificial grass, but we prepared the players for all of that.”
Hossam Hassan concluded his statements by saying: “The decline after the World Cup is normal after the players took a long vacation, then regular preparation periods, and only five rounds of the league championship passed.”
With its victory in South Sudan, the Egyptian national team takes the lead in the second group of qualifiers with 4 points after a goalless draw with Angola in Cairo in the first round last Friday.
On the other hand, the South Sudan national team is at the bottom of the standings without points after a second loss in a row, after the defeat against Malawi in the first round.
For his part, Ahmed Fattouh, the left back for Zamalek and the Egyptian national team, suffered a bruise in the thigh during the confrontation with South Sudan.
The media center of the Egyptian Football Association stated, on Tuesday, that Fattouh complained of pain in his thigh after suffering a bruise during the match, so he underwent an initial examination by the Egyptian national team’s medical staff.
The player is scheduled to undergo medical examinations to determine the extent of the injury and the duration of his absence before the Egyptian national team delegation returns to Cairo.
The Egyptian national team achieved its first victory in the qualifiers with a sweeping victory over South Sudan, 5-0, in Juba, after a goalless draw with Angola last Friday in Cairo.
The Egyptian national team will conclude its international break this month by facing South Africa in a friendly match next Sunday at Cairo Stadium.
The Moroccan national team returned with 3 valuable points from outside its home stadium by defeating its host, Lesotho, with a score of 2-0, on Tuesday, in the second round of the qualifiers for the 2027 African Cup of Nations, in the match that was held in the city of Bloemfontein in South Africa.
The Atlas Lions owe this victory to midfield star Azzedine Onahi, who contributed to the first goal scored by Ibrahim Diaz, the Spanish Real Madrid player, in the 45th minute.
Ounahi scored the second goal in the 82nd minute, confirming the Moroccans' superiority.
With this victory, the Moroccan national team takes the lead in Group A with 6 points, achieving the full score after a 2-0 victory over Gabon in the first round.
On the other hand, the Lesotho national team is at the bottom of the standings without points, with a second loss in a row after falling 1-2 to Niger in the first round.
As for the Algerian national team, it escaped defeat against its host, the Burundian national team, and tied with them 2-2, on Tuesday, in the second round of the ninth group matches.
Ibrahim Hamdani, Algeria's coach, made 4 changes to the starting lineup that won in the first round 3-1 over Zambia, last Friday, at Hussein Ait Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou.
Burundi took the lead with an own goal in the fifth minute, which Fares Shaybi accidentally scored into the net of fellow goalkeeper Malvin Mastil.
In the 12th minute, the Burundian national team added the second goal through Jean-Claude, following another defensive error by the Algerian national team.
The Algerian team regained its balance somewhat, half an hour after the start, and Mohamed Bachir Belloumi succeeded in reducing the difference, ending the first half with Algeria trailing 2-1.
In the second half, Algeria's attempts continued until they tied in the 63rd minute with a goal scored by Adil Boulbena following a free kick.
Burundi scored its first point, while Algeria raised its score to 4 points at the top of the group, which also includes Togo and Zambia.
