Saudi Arabia boss Georgios Donis targeting Gulf 27 title on home soil

Georgios Donis says Saudi Arabia are aiming to win Gulf 27 when the tournament begins in Jeddah on Wednesday.

The competition will be staged in Saudi Arabia from 23 September to 6 October, with the hosts opening their campaign against Kuwait at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia will then face Oman on Saturday before meeting Iraq next Tuesday.

The hosts will be without Musab Al-Juwayr, but Donis believes his squad has enough quality to challenge for the trophy.

“Musab Al-Juwayr’s absence gives us some negative energy and it was not what we wanted,” Donis said at a news conference. “Despite that, we are a team with enough quality to win Gulf 27.”

The Greek manager said Saudi Arabia must make the most of the opportunity to play in front of their home supporters.

“We are required to give our best during a tournament hosted by Saudi Arabia and try to make our fans happy by achieving the best results,” he added. “Our aim is to win the tournament.”

Donis also rejected the idea that the expectations surrounding the hosts would affect their performance.

“The pressure will not affect us in this tournament,” he said. “It is important that we play well.”

He believes the presence of three World Cup teams underlines the strength of the competition. Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Qatar are all taking part in Gulf 27.

“There are three teams in this tournament that have played in the World Cup – Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Qatar,” Donis said. “That is evidence of the strength of the tournament.”

The manager added that the quality of the Saudi domestic league had helped his players develop a stronger identity and greater confidence.

“We benefit from the strong league in Saudi Arabia because we have a better character,” Donis said. “We want to play to higher standards and with a stronger personality.”

However, he identified a lack of regular playing time for some players as a weakness, particularly among the goalkeepers.

“On the negative side, we sometimes lack participation and sufficient minutes on the pitch,” he said. “The goalkeepers, for example, are mostly foreigners.”

Donis played down the significance of Saudi Arabia’s opening fixture against Kuwait, insisting that the match should not be treated as a decisive final.

“The game against Kuwait in the opening match is not a final,” he said. “We will play Kuwait with our character and identity, then analyse the mistakes that occur. Every match is different from the next.”