(AFP) - The defending Bahraini national football team begins its journey to defend the title with a strong confrontation against the UAE national team, Saturday, at Al-Mina Stadium in Basra Governorate, as part of the competitions of the second group teams, which also witness the confrontation between Kuwait and Qatar in the twenty-fifth edition of the Arab Gulf Cup. for football.
The Bahraini national team achieved its only title in the previous edition, which was held in the Qatari capital, Doha, in 2019, while the UAE national team achieved the title twice, the first in the Gulf 18 on its soil in the year 2007, and the second was in the Gulf 21 that was held in Bahrain in 2013.
The Bahraini national team, led by its Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, who led the Bahraini Reds to the historic achievement of winning the Gulf title from Doha, enters.
Coach Souza was criticized prior to the delegation's departure to Basra after he announced the final list of the Bahraini national team, which saw him summon only one outright striker, Abdullah Youssef, while the attackers Mohammed Al-Rumaihi, Sayed Hashim Issa, the veteran Ismail Abdul Latif, and the top scorer in the Bahraini league in the last two seasons, the Manama club player Mahdi Abdul-Jabbar, were absent. The squad also witnessed the use of promising players, most notably Ibrahim Al-Khattal, Hamza Idris and Abdullah Al-Khalasi.
It is expected that Souza will rely on his stars, Mahdi Humaidan, Kamil Al-Aswad, Muhammad Jassim Marhoon, Ali Haram, Walid Al-Hayam, Amin bin Uday, Ahmed Bogmar and Jassim Al-Sheikh.
On the other hand, the UAE national team is led by Argentine coach Rodolfo Arwabarina, who was also criticized for not calling the historic UAE national team scorer and top scorer in the UAE Professional League, Ali Mabkhout.
Arwabarina said about the reason for the exclusion, "Ali Mabkhout is a good player and he was with me in the team more than once, but I am looking for other advantages on the field, different from what the player possesses."
He continued, "I know Ali Mabkhout's importance to the team and the fans, but team play is the most important."
Mabkhout is criticized for not adapting to the Argentine coach's style, which relies on pressure and defensive support in counter-attacks.
Aruabarina may miss his best player, Vaio Lima, of Brazilian origin, who suffered a back muscle injury in training, and his participation against Bahrain is in doubt.
The Latin coach will rely on the experience of his goalkeeper Khaled Issa, along with Majid Hassan, Hareb Abdullah Suhail and striker Caio Canedo.
"The national team includes 17 players who are participating for the first time at the international level, supported by some elements of experience," said Yasser Salem, UAE administrator. "However, our goal is clear from the beginning, which is to compete for the title."
He continued, "Our focus is on the Bahrain match, as it is the starting point, and at the same time it will be against the defending champion, who is trained by a good coach, and includes in his squad a group of distinguished players."

The "Olympic Port Stadium" will be a testing ground for the start of Kuwait with its renewed young squad against a Qatari opponent who is competing in the Olympic team, fed by a number of the first team members who participated in the 2022 World Cup.
Al-Azraq is armed with the fact that it is the leader of the “regional championship” with ten titles, and it is self-defeating to return to play the first roles in its favorite competition after years of confusion, problems and suspensions, and forgetting its exit from the group stage in the last two editions, in addition to its failure to reach the 2023 Asian Cup finals. .
Despite his absolute leadership in the championship and being the most goals scored in the history of the Gulf Cup (194 goals), ahead of Saudi Arabia (163) and Qatar (130), this does not intercede for him to be the first candidate to enter the highest point of the podium in Basra in light of the coach’s dependence. Portuguese Roy Pinto attacked a group of young men, most notably Shabib Al-Khalidi, in light of the turning of the page of veteran Bader Al-Mutawa (37 years), who was not summoned.
Among the rising names, Mubarak Al-Fenini, Hassan Hamdan and Mahdi Dashti, stand out, without forgetting the presence of a number of expert names such as Fahd Al-Hajri, Khaled Ibrahim and veteran goalkeeper Suleiman Abdul-Ghafour.
It is worth mentioning that the team's list includes 14 players who have never been in the Gulf championships.
For his part, "Al-Annabi" enters the tournament with three titles in his pocket, in which he shares second place with Saudi Arabia and Iraq behind Kuwait, which he achieved in 1992, 2004 and 2014.
The local federation decided to play the Gulf Cup with the Olympic team, led by its Portuguese coach Bruno Pinheiro, instead of the first team that was coached for a long time by Spaniard Felix Sanchez, before the Qatari federation decided not to renew his contract, which expired after the World Cup, in order to give young players an opportunity to show their potential.
The Qataris view the tournament as an opportunity to heal the wounds of the painful exit from the last World Cup that was held on their land, when their team suffered three consecutive defeats and was eliminated in the group stage.
The Qatari national team suffered a painful blow in the tournament after striker Mohamed Muntari, who scored the only World Cup goal for Annabi in the World Cup against Senegal, was excluded due to injury, to be replaced by Al Gharafa player Ahmed Alaa, and the two players who did not get the full opportunity during the World Cup.
Harmony will be the coach’s obsession with finding a harmonious formation in light of the multiplicity of teams for which the invited elements play. However, the basis will be relying on the players of the first team, such as goalkeeper Mishaal Barshim, defenders Tariq Salman and Hammam Al-Amin, along with midfielders Asim Madibo and Ismail Muhammad, while there are talents that have been proven. In the local league, she may find herself a place in the formation, along the lines of Khaled Mounir, Ahmed Fadel and Nayef Al-Hadrami, in addition to the presence of Ahmed Alaa as a spearhead with expertise and experience.
Former Qatari international Wissam Rizk (41 years), who won the title on two occasions (2004 and 2014) and the current coach of Umm Salal, says, "Our team will participate with new blood and good players who have a great future ahead. Achieving the title does not seem difficult, especially since Al-Annabi is competing with elements grafted with experience and international contacts."
The Kuwaiti and Qatari teams had previously met in the Gulf Cup, which started in 1970, in 18 matches, so the first prevailed on 11 occasions, compared to 6 for the second, while a tie dominated one match.