Palestine captain Musab al-Battat believes his side has what it takes to compete with the United Arab Emirates in what he has billed as a ‘must-win’ clash in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar on Wednesday.
On their third consecutive AFC Asian Cup appearance, Palestine fell to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Iran at the start of their campaign, but al-Battat insists the challenge at Al Janoub Stadium will be a more realistic one.
“We were not afraid of Iran. Yes, they are a strong team with quality players, but we are also a good team, and we have no fear,” said al-Battat. “We are now fully focused on the UAE, which is also a team we respect, but in football, teams are at different levels which is natural, and the UAE is just a bit closer to our level than Iran was.”
For the UAE, a 3-1 victory over Hong Kong, offered a positive start to the campaign as they hope to go as far as the semi-finals for the third consecutive time
UAE head coach Paulo Bento feels Palestine’s physical and direct approach will pose a challenge to his team. In the absence of all-time top scorer Ali Mabkhout who was left on the bench on Sunday, youngsters Sultan Adil and Zayed Sultan as well as Yahya al-Ghassani assumed scoring duties.
“It is important we don’t think too much about what we did, but about what we can reach,” said Bento. “We are expecting a balanced game, a difficult game against a good opponent. Strong physically with some players who are strong in aerial duels like the centre-backs and the centre-forwards and winger as well.”
“It is a team that plays in an offensive way, more often with a direct game with some similar process like our previous opponents, so we should be aware and focused to control their best moments and try to control the game based on our own features and characteristics to reach the victory, knowing that it will be very difficult to win against this team.”
Midfielder Ali Salmin wants to seal a place in the next round with a second win on the trot. “We are fully focused on this game, our ambition is to win and reach the sixth point that will bring us closer to qualifying with a game to spare,” said Salmin.
“I would like to thank the coaching staff for all their help in preparing us for this tournament, and also thanks for the fans who are supporting us in the stadium and behind the screens back home. The players are all united and this is very important in tournaments like this, whether we start or are on the bench, we have to all be together and this is what can take us forward and help us get the win. We want to be focused on the pitch and implement the strategy of the coach for the second game.”