Three-time champions Qatar feel ‘excited’ about facing a fresh challenge at Gulf Cup 26, new coach Luis Garcia said on Friday.Asian champions Qatar, who will be without mercurial play-maker Akram Afif, face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday.Kuwait and Oman are the other two teams in Group A along with Qatar and the UAE.In Group B, Saudi Arabia are joined by Bahrain, Yemen and Iraq who won the tournament at the start of 2023 in Basra.The hugely popular eight-team tournament will be played from Dec 21-Jan 3.“I’m truly excited to work with Al Annabi and I’m driven by a strong ambition to achieve great things in this tournament,” Garcia said on Friday.When asked about the upcoming match against the UAE, Garcia stated: “We’re highly focused on facing the UAE team. The first match is always challenging, but every match is crucial. We have a young team that will work diligently to achieve positive results in the Gulf Cup.”Addressing the recent loss to the UAE in the World Cup qualifiers, Garcia said: “The team’s morale is high. We understand the significance of this tournament for the Qatari people, and we’re motivated and fully focused on achieving positive results. Our players possess a professional mindset, and we’ve moved on from the last match and the World Cup qualifiers. The players are ready to represent Qatar at their best and deliver exceptional performances.”Regarding addressing the team’s mistakes, Garcia said: “I’m committed to improvement and have focused on all aspects of the game – defence, attack, and midfield. I’m confident that we can achieve good results in this tournament. We’re collectively analysing the issues and focusing on the team as a whole. I’m striving to balance defence and attack, creating a more cohesive and solid team.”He added: “We know the importance of this tournament for Qatar, and I’m aware of the capabilities of my players. This team has previously won the Asian Cup, and we’ll approach every match with a final-like mentality.”Garcia on Friday also provided an update on Afif’s delayed arrival in Kuwait.“I’ve known Akram for nine years, and I’m aware of his commitment, seriousness, and professionalism. He’s currently dealing with some personal circumstances, and we’re working hard to ensure he’s ready to join the national team. Ultimately, he’s human, and we respect his personal situation. Akram is part of the 26-player squad for the tournament, and if circumstances permit, he’ll be joining us in Kuwait.”Paulo Bento, the UAE coach, said during a press conference on Friday: “Ours was a difficult preparation due to lack of time to prepare the players and the strategy. Some of the players played their last league game on the 17th so we just met them yesterday (Thursday) and then we had to travel. It is our role and obligation to try and do our best even in these kinds of conditions.”Bento added: “Training yesterday was important of course. Today, we can’t make many things because it is the day before the game. We will try our best to perform in the best possible way to make a good game.”When asked about Afif’s absence from the match, Bento told reporters: “We try to prepare the strategy looking at different possibilities, and we think always that the opponent will play with the best players, and of course Afif is one of their best (players). We know how influential he is in their style of play, especially in the offensive process. But if he doesn’t play, it will not be a different game or become easier because their coach will find other solutions. So, we focus on our strategy and our team only.”When asked if his side were the favourites for the title, Bento said: “Did you ask them (the fans) why they consider us as favourite? We are not the favourite. We are one of the teams that wants to make the best (results) for the country and show a good organisation as a team. That’s it. We will try to keep competing in the proper way and in a good spirit.Friday’s fixturesKuwait vs Oman 8:00pmQatar vs UAE 10:00pm