Defending champs Iraq not to take Yemen lightly in opening clash

Coach of defending champions Iraq Casas on Saturday said his team won’t be taking Yemen lightly when they face-off in the Arabian Gulf Cup 26 clash today."Our first match against Yemen is very important. They are an organised team and I have been impressed by them, especially their midfield. We will have to be at our best in this tournament,” Casas said during a press conference on Saturday."Our preparation has been good despite some problems due to injuries and the inability of some players to join, but we are ready for the tournament,” Casas said."In the Gulf Cup, we are trying to test young players and prepare them to see if we can benefit from them in the coming period, for example, in the World Cup qualifiers."When we won the Gulf Cup in Basra there was overwhelming joy that spread throughout the country, so we want to repeat that and bring the cup to Baghdad and bring joy to the faces of the Iraqi people. Both groups are difficult and the competition will be fierce. In the past, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were somewhat superior, but today you find the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Iraq competing as well and they are all close to each other so it will be difficult to predict who will qualify from each group,” he added.Iraq’s talisman Aymen Hussein looks ahead to today’s opening game. "We enter the tournament as defending champions and our goal is to retain our title and please our fans,” Hussein said on Saturday."We, as a team, play with the spirit of one group, and we are committed to the instructions of the coaching staff in order to reach as far as we can in the competition."Every striker’s ambition is to score and take all three points from each match. It is not only me, but all the players enter each match with the same ambition to achieve maximum points,” he added.Yemen coach Noureddine Ould Ali, said on Saturday: "We have picked the best side at our disposal. And we prepared well during the past period with a training program that suited our strengths.”Ali added: "We are keen to start well. We want to take advantage of all available opportunities in front us in the match. Some of our players have gained experience of playing at the Iraqi clubs and in their stadiums. We know our opponents well.”Yemeni player, Abdul-Wasie al-Matari said on Saturday: "We feel ready for our first match. We hope to deliver promising performances since we have good players who give their best.”