Oman’s campaign in the 21st Gulf Cup was set rolling with a firm declaration of intent by its coach on the eve of the team’s first match against host Bahrain in Manama. “We are ready,” Paul Le Guen told reporters on Friday.
Oman takes on Bahrain in the opening match of the tournament that will kick off at 8.15pm (Oman time) at the National Stadium in Manama. The 2009 champion, which slipped up badly in the next edition of the tournament in Yemen, has been placed in Group A this time along with Bahrain, Qatar and UAE.
The top two teams from Group A and B (defending champion Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen) will qualify for the semifinals on January 15, with the final on January 18.
“The team is well-prepared and we are all looking forward to the tournament,” Le Guen said, adding, “We are aware of the importance of the Gulf Cup. No doubt, it is going to be challenging.”
Admitting that the opening match against the host, with all the home support, would be a tough task, the coach said, “My players will need to be at their peak. The opener against a host country is always a difficult game. I realise that Bahrain will be a motivated team but I want my players to be as motivated.”
Le Guen also played down the absence of regular captain and goalkeeper Ali al Habsi from the tournament, saying that he had full faith in the reserve bench. Habsi was not released for the tournament by his English side Wigan, which itself is battling relegation in the Premier League.
“I would like to close this chapter,” said Le Guen. “I have said it again and again and will repeat it once more. Habsi’s absence is a big blow for us. But we now want to move ahead.
“We tried hard to get Habsi released but that did not happen. We have good goalkeepers in Mazin al Kasbi, Faiz al Rusheidi and Hani Najmaldine. We need to support these youngsters. I have a lot of faith in them.”
The good news though, he said, is that the team is injury-free this time with defender Mohammed Sheeba returning to action recently after a knee injury. “Sheeba’s recovery is fine but I am not sure that he will be in the starting XI tomorrow,” the coach said. Oman’s captain Ahmed Hadeed said that the team is confident of starting on the right note. “The team has the belief to make a difference and start with a win,” he said.
Le Guen’s team, interestingly, received a vote of confidence from the opposition, too. Bahrain’s coach Gabriel Calderon, who had coached Oman from April 2007 to June 2008, said, “Oman is one of the best teams here and one of the favourites.”