Bahrain coach expects tough Gulf Cup semi-final

Bahrain coach Gabriel Calderon says his team is playing well Bahrain head coach Gabriel Calderon says that the team to score first in their semi-final match today against Iraq will be able to dictate the tempo of the game. “It’s going to be close,” Calderon said today in his pre-match Press conference. “It depends on who scores first. Only then will we see the difference between the two teams. But Bahrain is in it to win it, and we will try our best to get the upper hand in the match.”
Calderon said that Bahrain have been performing well so far in the competition, despite only scoring twice in three matches and just once in open play.
“Getting to the goal and not scoring is a good sign that the team is working well as a group,” Calderon said. “Hopefully we can be better in our upcoming match and score goals as well.” Calderon added that Iraq are a very strong side but they are beatable.
“We have played the Iraq team many times in the past, and we know each other very well,” he said. “I believe that the Iraq team has had better preparations than us for this tournament because they have been playing in World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers.
“But this is no excuse, and the best team is surely going to win tomorrow.” Meanwhile, Iraq’s Hakeem Shaker says that Iraq are on “the right path” to becoming one of the best teams in the region, and adds that the 21st Gulf Cup has been a turning point for his side.
“We are back on the international scene again,” Shaker said. “This tournament has been a turning point for our national team, and we are now on the right path to a strong future.”
Shaker added that his side will do the best they can to move on to the final, but it will be a tough task especially with semi-final opponents Bahrain enjoying the support of the home crowd.
“Surely, the crowd will affect the match tomorrow, but we will try our best to use that advantage against them and make it a great game,” the Iraqi explaned.
“We see the Bahrain team as one and they will be a very tough opponent. If they were not a good team, then they will not be in the semi-finals.
“It hard to predict an outcome; wishing is something different from predicting, but all we need to do is work hard to get the win and hopefully we can do just that.”
In the other semi-final, United Arab Emirates face Kuwait.
Source: Agencies