Arabian Gulf Cup: Qatar National Team Aspires to Double After Asian Cup Win

Doha, November 25 (QNA) - The Qatari national football team aspires to make 2019 a year to remember as they look to build on their Asian Cup win in the UAE by winning the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup which they host from November 26 to December 8. The Qatari national team will play the opening match tomorrow at Khalifa International Stadium against Iraq. This year's edition will see teams placed in two groups. Group A will consist of Qatar, Yemen, UAE, and Iraq. Group B meanwhile will include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The Qatari national team continued their preparations for the competition following their match against Afghanistan. The team's Spanish coach Felix Sanchez is focusing particularly on the tactical and technical elements of the team's game. The coaching staff is also paying great attention to recovery. Qatar won the 11th Arabian Gulf Cup title in 1992 and 17th Arabian Gulf Cup title in 2004. They will be keen to win a third title this year, and should be confident of doing so given their performances in the 2019 Asia Cup. Sanchez will return the majority of players who featured in the Asia Cup, looking to use their sense of comradery and understanding on the pitch to help deliver the trophy. The opening match will be important for both the Qatari and Iraqi teams, as they will be looking to make the best possible start in order to reach the next round. Iraq however will be suffering from a number of influential players, including Humam Tariq and Bashar Resan, who couldn't make the team due to administrative issues. The Iraqi national team preparations were affected by Iraqi club Al Shorta recall of eight of their players, as the team features in another competition that will clash with the schedule of the Arabian Gulf Cup. Hassan Al Haydos, Qatar's most-capped players, said that the team has forgot about the Asian qualifiers and is focused solely on the Arabian Gulf competition. Meanwhile, Asia Cup top goal scorer Al Moez Ali said that it will be hard to pick the favorites as all teams have a chance to win. (QNA)