On January 5, 22:00, the final of this year's Gulf Cup UAE vs Oman will play, before the match, UAE manager Zaccheroni said in an interview, confident to lead the UAE to win the Gulf Cup, the team is not afraid of Oman.
The UAE are chasing their third regional tournament trophy and this final against the Omani national team coached by Dutchman Verbeke will be a rematch of that 2007 showdown, when the UAE won the trophy on their own soil, the first time they had won the honor.
This set of opponents have met in recent times, with Zaccheroni leading his men to a 1-0 win over Oman in the first group stage match of this tournament two weeks ago. Since then, however, the UAE have not been able to complete a breakthrough (editor's note: 0-0 in the latter two group games), and advanced to the semifinals on Tuesday by knocking out Iraq on penalties (still 0-0 over 90 minutes). Oman, on the other hand, have won three matches in a row since their defeat to the UAE, leaving Zaccheroni with what will undoubtedly be a test at the Al Ahmed International Stadium in Jabal, Kuwait.
When asked on Thursday if the UAE could win the cup with an Italian-style chain defense, Zaccheroni said, "The Italian national team and the UAE are different. We are not a defensive team. I focused on finding the balance between offense and defense. I know we didn't score goals, but I want to build a team that can score many goals."
"But I'm more interested in the team's performance because that will lead us to the goals. If we play better in the final, the goals will come. The most important thing for me is to create chances."
Meanwhile Zaccheroni's rival Welbeck says last month's 0-1 loss will not affect Oman's performance in the final. The manager has helped his side bounce back from defeat with victories over Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and the Dutchman says the tournament's 2009 winners are ready to give "more than 100 percent" to get their hands on the trophy.
