JEDDAH, 23 January 2007 — Kuwait and UAE face each other today in the last match of Group A with both teams mathematically in contention to join Oman into the semifinals of the 18th Gulf Cup Championship.
UAE, in second place with three points from one loss against Oman in the opening match 2-1 and a 2-1 victory over Yemen in the second, hold the slight edge over the Kuwaitis as they have two options to reach the next round.
For Kuwait it’s either win or go home. They are in third place of the group equal with Yemen with one point only from a 2-2 draw with Yemen and a 2-1 loss against Oman.
The Oman -Yemen match will be played simultaneously with the Kuwait-UAE tussle with Oman looking to qualify first of the group. Oman are sitting pretty having secured a seat in the semifinals after defeating UAE and Kuwait both by 2-1 scorelines.
Oman are in first position with 6 points and Yemen third with one point from a draw against Kuwait 2-2 and a loss against UAE 2-1. Either a win or a draw by Oman would make the team the first semifinal qualifiers regardless of the result of the match between UAE and Kuwait. Omani coach Milan Macala is expected to play his second liners and give the main players some rest for the semifinals match.
Yemen, newcomers in the competition, are marking their third appearance in the prestigious tournament. With nothing to lose Yemen will be going all out against Oman as they attempt a graceful exit with a victory.
If Kuwait win they will qualify second of the group with 4 points on condition that Yemen lose the match or draw against Oman.
An Oman defeat would mean that Kuwait need to win by at least 3-0 against the hosts to qualify. With their backs to the wall anything less than a victory would be unacceptable for Kuwait.
UAE can take either a win or draw against Kuwait to qualify second of the group if Oman draw or win against Yemen. If Oman lose the match against Yemen, which is not likely to happen, then UAE must win against Kuwait by three goals at least to qualify as first or draw to qualify as second place.
