Saudi Arabia and UAE.. For a long-awaited title

Today, the "Green" falcon has the opportunity to reclaim the title absent from its trophy cabinet since 2004, raise its tally to 4 titles, and thus move up to second place on the list of most title-winning national teams, tied with Iraq and five behind Kuwait (10, the last of which was in 2010).

On the other hand, the UAE aspires to secure its third title after a 13-year wait, drawing inspiration from its strong performances in the current edition of the tournament, having last stood on the podium at "Gulf Cup 21" in 2013 in Bahrain when it claimed its third title (the first being in 2007).

Saudi Arabia's Greek coach Giorgos Donis praised the technical level and tactical discipline shown by his players throughout their tournament journey, especially defensively where their goal remained clean as a result of teamwork and the great efforts they exerted.

He said after the victory over Qatar: "We faced a tough opponent that played defensively, which made creating chances difficult. We managed to create some but we didn't score, and this is normal in football."

The Greek coach pointed out the impact of match congestion, adding: "In short and centralized tournaments, fatigue is always present. We must now focus on the final step, and we look forward to the fans' help in the final, because their impact on us is huge."

Regarding the performance and whether it is sufficient to achieve the title, the former coach of Al-Hilal, Al-Fateh, Al-Wehda, and Al-Khaleej clubs said: "We must deal with each match individually. These are big matches, and it is not easy to face these teams in a short period of time. We are trying to give our best."

He considered that "the best achievement is that we played five matches at home and did not concede any goals, which is a positive thing returning to the players and their great abilities and potential. It is also important to possess the ball, and step by step we will create our own identity and continue working hard."

We respect the Saudi national team

On the other hand, the UAE—which defeated Oman 1-0 in the semi-finals—did not dream of such an ideal presence under the leadership of its new Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić, who took charge of the "Whites" a week before the start of "Gulf Cup 27". Nevertheless, he succeeded in finishing the group stage at the top with 7 points after two wins and a draw, scoring eight goals for the first time since the tournament adopted the group system.

The "Whites" also kept a clean sheet in three out of the four matches they have played so far, conceding only one goal in the 1-1 draw against Qatar in the final round of the first stage, during which he fielded a reserve lineup after securing their qualification to the semi-finals.

Today's final against Saudi Arabia will be the toughest test for coach Dalić’s squad, who considered that his opponent "possesses extra strength by playing in front of its home crowd."

The UAE Football Association tried to narrow this crowd gap after announcing the operation of 12 charter flights to Jeddah and purchasing tickets for its fans, who are expected to reach 12,000 spectators according to its allocated quota in the stadium.

Dalić, who knows Saudi football well from his time managing Al-Faisaly and Al-Hilal between 2010 and 2013, said: "We respect the Saudi national team a lot; it is strong and will play in front of its fans, so the match will be very difficult, and I expect a strong clash and a stadium full of fans."

The Croatian coach believes that "the tight schedule represents a challenge for both teams, and the most important thing (after the Oman match in the semi-finals) is to restore the players' readiness. We only had two days, but the Saudi team also played extra time in its match against Qatar, so it will face the same challenge regarding fatigue."

He revealed, "We will analyze the Saudi national team and prepare for the match in order to deliver a better performance than what we presented against Oman, and this is important for us."

The most successful coach in his country's national team history faces a personal challenge, which is overcoming the curse of final matches that has haunted him in major tournaments, after taking second place in the 2016 AFC Champions League with the UAE's Al Ain, and runner-up in the 2018 World Cup and the 2023 UEFA Nations League with Croatia.

To achieve his goal, Dalic asked his players to deliver a higher level than the one they showed in the semi-finals: "The match (against Oman) was not as I expected, and I cannot say much, because my team won, and that is the most important thing. But I feel that we can perform better, improve our style of play, and create chances, and I hope our performance in the final will be better."