JEDDAH: A thriller is in the cards when two soccer heavyweights of the region – Saudi Arabia and Kuwait – will fight for honors in the final of the 20th Gulf Cup Football Tournament at the 22 May Stadium in Aden Sunday. If Saudi Arabia has won the coveted title thrice Kuwait has lifted the cup nine times. The two teams earlier played a goalless match in the second round of Group A of the current tournament. In a press conference in Aden, Peseiro expected that the final would be a real thriller. He also added that Kuwait has many good players, and an intelligent coach which would make the match tough for the Saudi side. He also said that the matches between these two teams would always be tough and one can't predict the winner. He assured the Saudi team is ready for the encounter. On the other hand, Serbian coach of Kuwait, Goran Tufegdzic, said he respects the Saudi team. He added that they would do the most to snatch the title that Kuwait has not won in the last 12 years. Over the last three days, coach Peseiro has worked on increasing his players' fitness during the morning training sessions. There are very good players in the Kuwaiti team. Striker Badr Al-Muttawa is the blue team's mastermind. Another striker, Hamad Naif should not be left alone especially in corner kicks as the player can easily benefit from both his height and weight. In the midfield, Fahd Al-Enezi and Hamad Al-Enezi are quick and skilful players. With his wide experience, Kuwait's goalkeeper, Nawaf Al-Khaledi is a source of confidence to his teammates. Al-Khaledi has played a major role in his team's qualification for the final. He succeeded to save a crucial penalty kick from Saudi midfielder and skipper Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, in the two team's round-two encounter. On the other hand, his Saudi counterpart, Assaf Al-Qarni has proven himself as the future goalkeeper of the Saudi team. Saudi striker Mohanned Aseeri and midfielders Ahmed Abbas were injured in the UAE semifinal encounter. Their participation has not yet been confirmed. However, the Saudi side still has players to replace them. Striker Saleh Basheer and midfielder Mo'ataz Al-Mousa are ready to take over. Moreover, experienced midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub is one of Peseiro's most important players in the match. Shalhoub is not only known for his perfect passes but also for his accurate free kicks. The Saudi team is expected to be backed by many fans who have arrived in Aden to support their national team. Thousands of Saudi supporters have moved to Yemen's economic city. Most of these are from the cities close to Yemen such as Jizan and Najran. However, others from other cities have also hit the road to support the green team. Saudi Arabia won its first Gulf title (12th Gulf Cup) in 1994 in the UAE; . In 2002, Saudi Arabia hosted the 15th Gulf Cup and emerged champion. Two years later, Saudi Arabia bagged the 16th Gulf Cup which was held in Kuwait. Kuwait won the inaugural title in 1970 in Bahrain and retained the title in 1972, 1974 and 1976. Kuwait again underlined its supremacy in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1996 and 1998.
