Doha: Tunisia coach Mondher El Kabir has emphasised the Carthage Eagles face a challenging task against a ‘respected’ Oman in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 at the Education City Stadium today.
Both teams will be playing in a competitive setting for the first time, having met before in a friendly in 2011.
The Eagles kicked off their Arab Cup campaign as one of the favourites with a 5-1 thrashing of Mauritania but were humbled by Syria, losing 2-0.
The North Africans needed a win against the UAE to top Group C, and they edged the Emiratis by a lone goal.
“We are playing against a respected opponent who have proved their quality. We have to play with confidence and togetherness, and we need to be up to the task and the same level we showed against the Emirates and Mauritania if we hope to qualify,” El Kabir told media yesterday.
“Oman had a beautiful performance in the group stage, while we didn’t show our qualities against Syria. We have learned many things in our group matches, and hopefully, we will make it to the semis. Oman is a great squad, but we must do our best and show a fighting spirit. We need to be confident in ourselves as a team and individuals to perform well,” he added.
Seifeddine Jaziri, Yousef Msakni, and youngster Hannibal Mejbri have been impressive for the Eagles so far, and El Kabir’s side will be boosted by the addition of midfielder Yasin Chikhaqui, who recently returned to training after an injury spell. In contrast, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane returns after a suspension. El Kabir also confirmed that Hamza Mathlouthi has returned to the squad after a period of isolation due to COVID-19.
Tunisia's Hannibal Mejbri in action with a team-mate.
“It’s a good thing to have the players back because we rely on the group to play collectively.”
On the tournament, the Tunisian said, “We have seen many squads play, and their level is high, and we have seen some good football individually and collectively, and we have also seen a high level of organisation. Qatar is quite ready for the World Cup, which will benefit Arab football.”
On the other hand, Oman also needed to beat Bahrain in their last match to finish as Group A runners-up. A convincing 3-0 victory means The Reds are brimming with confidence, but head coach Branko Ivankovic said his side have the quality to cause an upset.
The Croatian took Iran to the 2006 World Cup and has overseen a turnaround for the Omani national side since his appointment in 2020.
“We are proud and satisfied to qualify for this stage. It’s an opportunity for my players to play such a strong team. We respect them, and they have a lot of quality, but we have to show our performances to get a result. We analysed the Tunisian team’s last two games, and we have prepared ourselves as best."
“However, the most important is the players and what they show on the pitch. You can prepare the team, but the players will make the decisions on the pitch,” Ivankovic added.
The 67-year-old veteran noted the difference between both sides in the FIFA rankings but insisted Oman are getting better game by game.
“Always there are favourites in these tournaments. We are not the same in the rankings with Tunisia, but for my players and me, we want to beat anybody we play. My players are getting better game by game. We have quality, and we can play good games, and we are very proud to qualify for this stage to be among the best eight Arab teams,” Ivankovic said.
Meanwhile, Oman defender Juma Al Habsi stressed the players’ goal is to reach the final.
“We are ready for the match, and we will apply the instructions of the coach, and we hope to be successful. We respect the Tunisian players, and we won’t just focus on one player but the team. We will play against them and give our best like any other team. All teams have their style, but we didn’t embark on this championship with a mind to avoid any team. Our goal is to reach the final.”
