New coach Luis Garcia on Friday said Asian champions Qatar feel 'ready' ahead of the team's clash on Saturday against the United Arab Emirates on the opening day of Gulf Cup 26.
Last week Garcia replaced coach Marquez Loepz ahead of the Dec 21-Jan 3 tournament that starts in Kuwait on Saturday with a game involving the hosts and former champions Oman.
Kuwait and Oman are the two other teams in Group A along with Qatar and the UAE. In Group B, Saudi Arabia are joined by Bahrain, Yemen and defending champions Iraq.
The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
The Qatar squad arrived in Kuwait City on Friday following a week of training sessions in Doha. The entire QFA delegation was warmly received at the airport by the Kuwait Football Association.
Speaking at his first press conference as the coach of Qatar team, Garcia said on Friday: "We have included some new players but we feel ready for the match against UAE. I have to say I am happy to be with the national team although our preparation period was very short due to time constraints.
"We feel ready as we have players with a professional mentality. We will deal with the competition match by match and we will strive to win every match as we are the champions of the Asian Cup," Garcia said on Friday.
Garcia, who will coach Al-Annabi for the first time in an official match on Saturday, continued: "We have prepared well for a new tournament and as you know the opening match is always difficult but we aim to secure a victory. We have a young team and enthusiastic players in the Gulf Cup. Some of whom have joined the Qatari national team for the first time."
"We have achieved a lot in the recent past and we must continue on the same path. Yes, the Qatari team won two continental titles (in the last five years) and we are the Asian Cup title holders. The Qatar football family is happy with what the team has achieved in such a short period (of time). We have ambitions to win the Gulf Cup and keep pace with these achievements," he added.
"I have a fantastic group of young players in the team. They have a great mindset and always aspire to achieve more," he added.
Qatar player Assim Madibo said on Friday: "We are thankful to Kuwait for their warm hospitality and generous welcome. I can assure our fans that we will play to win and get positive results. We aim to give our best."
The kick-off on Saturday is set for 10:00pm Qatar time.
