Forward Ismail Mohamed believes Qatar are one of the favourites to clinch the 24th Gulf Cup, which will be begin in Doha from Tuesday. The Asian Champions have not been at their best going into the prestigious regional competition, having struggled in the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers recently.
This will be the fourth time Qatar is hosting the Gulf Cup, which is organised by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. The Maroons have won the event three times and will be aiming for a glorious double in 2019 after winning the AFC Asian Cup in January.
Felix Sanchez’s men begin their campaign against Iraq at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday, before they go on to face Yemen and the UAE. Ismail feels a victory against Iraq will put them in a strong position for the rest of the tournament.  “We, as Asian champions, have a quality group of players. Our goal is to do well in every competition,” Ismail said on the sidelines of the team’s training session yesterday.  “We have not been at our best but I am confident we will be a completely different side in the Gulf Cup and we will be a strong contender for the title,” the Duhail winger added.
Ismail said the magnitude of the occasion will help the players to give their best. “The Gulf Cup is a special competition, which gives players an added incentive to perform and raise the bar. We will see a high level of competition. We are well aware of the significance of the tournament in the region and Insha Allah we will be able to win the title and bring joy our fans.
On the below-par performance in Dushanbe, Tajikistan last week, where they narrowly beat Afghanistan in the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, Ismail said: “We want to be on top always. The most important thing is to win and get all three points, which we have done so far.”
The 29-year-old was absent for a long period because of a horrific injury he suffered in the beginning of the last season. Ismail underwent surgery followed by a long period of recovery and returned to training in July.