Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, head coach of the Qatar national football team, confirmed his players’ full readiness for the upcoming match against Saudi Arabia.
This comes ahead of the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup (Gulf Cup 27).
Lopetegui noted that the match, set to be held on Saturday, allows for no excuses despite the difficulty of preparation given the packed schedule of matches.
He also stressed that the large turnout of Saudi fans would serve as motivation for the Qatari (Al-Annabi) players.
Speaking at a press conference held on Friday, Lopetegui said the players are preparing for the match with great enthusiasm.
He emphasized the need to play with a fighting spirit until the final whistle in order to secure victory.
The Qatar national team coach added: “We are currently focused on the players’ recovery before the match given how close together the games are. The lineup is clear to us.”
“The players are ready for the match, and we will be facing a strong opponent — the host nation — with a huge crowd in the stadium, and that gives us great motivation.”
Asked whether Qatar, as Asian champions, held an advantage, Lopetegui said: “History is important, but we are talking about the present reality.”
He continued: “We want to compete, taking into account the injuries we are dealing with and the limited time, but there are no excuses.”
“We have high confidence and want to play a good match, and if we beat the Saudi national team, it would be a wonderful achievement.”
Asked about playing in front of at least 50,000 spectators and whether that would put pressure on the Qatar players, the Spanish coach said: “We have good players who are experienced in facing thousands of opposing fans, and we must give our best — there is no room for excuses.”
