Qatar National Team Head Coach Felix Sanchez confirmed the difficulty and importance of Qatar's game against its Iraqi counterpart in the second round of the Group B matches in the Gulf Cup 23, which will be held on Tuesday evening.

The Spanish coach said the team's preparations for the match are proceeding as per usual. He said the team is resting after Yemen's match, adding that the preparations will be completed with light exercise Monday evening before the difficult game on Tuesday.

Regarding Assim Madibo's injury, Sanchez said he will be missed and wished him a speedy recovery. He added that the team has many players and there are different options for Madibo's position. Madibo's substitude will be decided after the last exercise, he added.

As for the Yemeni game result and its impact, he explained that it was a great result, but it was well deserved following a wonderful performance of the players, winning this result is a positive and the team has a professional mentality. He added that in the game against Iraq there will have to be defensive precaution due to the nature of the competitor and the importance of the game which works as a transit to the next round. The teams is here to focus on matches and not care about other circumstances, he said.

On the Iraq and Bahrain games, Sanchez said it was a very strong game and both teams sought to win. He said both teams' style is distinctive and confirmed the readiness of the Qatari team for both matches.

Qatar National Team Player Abdulkarim Salem Al Ali said they are ready for the match, and the main aim is to win the tournament. He added that the Iraqi team is not only respected in the Gulf Cup but also in Asia.

He added, the preparations are going normally and the team takes every game as a championship in itself. He said the team has the highest level of professional equipment and constantly support the players to appear in an honourable way.

He said all the players of the team are able to fill and compensate any absence and wished the speedy recovery of his teammate Assim Madibo, whose injury deprived him to play the rest of the tournament.

As for the pressure of the matches, Al Ali stressed that the players are professional and are used to this atmosphere and everyone is responsible enough to handle the pressure. (QNA)

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