ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, 1 July 2007 — Fresh from winning its first Gulf Cup title in January, the United Arab Emirates is brimming with confidence ahead of the continental championship.
“Winning the Gulf Cup has given a massive boost to the confidence of my players, and I’m sure they can raise their game a step further in the Asian Cup,” said the UAE coach Bruno Metsu, a Frenchman who guided Senegal to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.
Metsu expects the level of competition to be similar to the Gulf Cup, and rates his UAE team among the strong contenders for the Asian title.
“The Gulf Cup we won last time was similar in strength to the Asian Cup, maybe with a few more tougher teams like Japan, South Korea, China and Iran,” he said. “The Gulf teams are equal in strength and if there were any difference from the others, it is only marginal.” While the UAE is no stranger to heat, the desert-based nation dispatched its 24-member squad to Malaysia almost a month ahead of its opening match at Hanoi against co-host Vietnam to acclimatize to the tropical Southeast Asian conditions.
Confidence aside, the UAE will undoubtedly face some stiff opposition in Group B, where along with Vietnam, it meets defending champion Japan, and Gulf neighbor Qatar.
Japan is aiming for a third consecutive Asian Cup title and a chance to stamp its dominance on the region despite the debut of 2006 World Cup nemesis Australia. Qatar, the 2004 Gulf Cup winner and reigning Asian Games champion, will look to regain some regional pride. Gulf Cup finalist Oman won’t find the going any easier in Group A, where it takes on Australia, Iraq and host Thailand.
In Group D Bahrain must better traditional Asian Cup powers South Korea and Saudi Arabia, along with host Indonesia for a quarterfinals berth.
The top two teams from each group advance to the final eight of the July 7-29 tournament. The UAE team will rely heavily on playmaker Ismail Matar. The forward played an influential role in steering the team to its Gulf Cup title, netting five goals in as many matches, including the winner in the final against Oman, and was subsequently named the best player in the tournament.
However, the team will be without set piece specialist Subait Khater, who fractured his foot during a domestic league match in March and has only just returned to training. Left back Adel Abdulaziz, meanwhile, featured in all five of the UAE’s Gulf Cup matches before a leg injury in the final that ruled him out until next season.
Oman has made giant strides since reaching its first Asian Cup in 2004. The seventh ranked side in Asia is 26 places below group rivals Australia in the FIFA rankings and 10 above Iraq.
Striker Imad Ali, named to the 2004 Asian Cup All Star team, is expected to be one most potent weapons in Argentine-born coach Gabriel Calderon’s arsenal, while Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, will provide some experience in defense. Oman established its pre-Cup base in Singapore, before heading to Thailand ahead of its opening match against Australia on July 8.
Appointed to the coaching position in April, Calderon, a member of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup winning side, has been busy restoring stability and confidence to Oman after the departure of veteran Czech mentor Milan Macala.
Macala was dismissed after Oman’s Gulf Cup final loss to the UAE, but quickly secured the top job with neighboring Bahrain.
Bahrain will be aiming to repeat the success of its second Asian Cup appearance three years ago in China, when it surprised its opposition to finish fourth.
Macala, who has a wealth of experience in Gulf football after also previously coaching Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, will be building his Asian Cup squad around several key players who earn a living in the Qatar and Kuwait leagues, including joint 2004 Asian Cup top-scorer Alaa Hubail.
