For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City.
After the opening matches in Group A, we have a four-way tie, as the hosts picked up a point in a 1-1 draw with Oman, and the UAE doing the same against Qatar.
Match preview
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There seems to be something about the Gulf Cup that brings out the worst in the UAE, which only managed a single point on matchday one.
They have now gone six consecutive games without a victory in the group phase of this competition, losing four of those matches.
Paulo Bento's men came into this competition in great goalscoring form, with convincing triumphs over Kyrgyzstan (3-0) and Qatar (5-0) in 2026 World Cup qualifying, but they could only find the back of the net on one of their four targeted efforts on Saturday.
All of their victories in 2024 so far occurred when they were able to score multiple goals, with Eyal Zayed doing so seven times this year.
The UAE have not suffered a single defeat all year when scoring drawing first blood, claiming six victories in 2024 when doing so.
On Tuesday, they can win consecutive matches against Kuwait for the first time since 2013, when they followed up a 3-0 victory in 2012 with a 1-0 triumph at this tournament.
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It began well for the hosts on matchday one, but in the end, Kuwait had to settle for a single point despite holding their opponents to just one effort on target.
That extended their winless run to 10 matches across all competitions, with their last competitive victory occurring in a June World Cup qualifier (1-0 against Afghanistan).
Juan Antonio Pizzi is still seeking his first victory since taking charge of this team, losing two of his last three games at the helm.
Kuwait have not suffered consecutive defeats in the group phase of this tournament since following up a 3-1 victory versus Saudi Arabia in 2019 with losses to Oman (2-1) and Bahrain (4-2).
They have netted a goal or fewer in six consecutive international affairs and have failed to win their last two contests when drawing first blood.
In their last three meetings versus the UAE at the Gulf Cup, Kuwait have managed to avoid defeat, claiming a 1-0 triumph against them in the 2023 group phase.
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Team News
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On matchday one, Khalifa Al Hammadi collected his 50th cap for the UAE, while Solomon Sosu, Khamis Al-Mansoori, Faris Khalil, Lucas Pimenta and Hamad Al-Meqebaali are all seeking their first appearances with the national team.
Yahya Al Ghassani equalised in first-half stoppage time this past weekend, his eighth as a member of Al Abyad and his fifth of the year.
From their November match against Jordan to their opening game in this competition, Kuwait made one change to their starting 11, with Redha Abujabarah replacing Yousef Majed.
Yousef Nasser put his team in front against Oman, his 53rd all-time with the senior squad, three fewer than Bader Al-Mutawa for third.
United Arab Emirates possible starting lineup:
Eisa; Ibrahim, Al Hammadi, Autonne, Meloni; Hunt, Nader; Caio, Lima, Al Ghassani; Bruno
Kuwait possible starting lineup:
K. Al-Rashidi; Al-Hajeri, Al-Sanea, El Ebrahim, Ghanem; Zayid, Al-Enezi; E. Al-Rashidi, Majed, Daham; Nasser
We say: United Arab Emirates 1-1 Kuwait
When these two teams meet, it tends to be a close encounter, and we do not believe either side will have a decisive edge in what is shaping up to be a very tight group with little to choose from amongst each team.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
