Ahmed Eltigani
Two-time winners UAE begin their campaign in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup in the second match of the opening day against Yemen at Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium. Yemen, the underdog of the tournament having never won the cup, is yet to prove itself by winning a game in the championship. The two teams will face off as part of Group A, alongside Asian Champions Qatar, and Iraq. The UAE won the tournament first when they were hosts in 2007, and then later in Bahrain in 2013.
The last time the two teams faced off was in an international friendly in November of last year, where the Emirati side won 2-0, and the last time Yemen beat the UAE was in a 2006 World Cup qualification game in September 2004. Yemen’s coach Al Nash said in a press conference:
“Our group is difficult with Qatar, Iraq and the UAE - all really strong teams that have done very well in past editions of the competition. However, we aren’t here to just make numbers and will do our best to keep our pride intact.”