Graham Arnold: Kuwait clash is tough and we aim to snatch three points

Australian coach Graham Arnold has revealed his special plan to deal with fatigue affecting Iraq ahead of their crucial match against Kuwait in the second round of the group stage of the Gulf Cup 'Gulf 27' held in Saudi Arabia.

Iraq will face Kuwait at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium tomorrow at 6:55 PM Mecca and Baghdad time.

Arnold said during the press conference for the match: "We have a very important match ahead against the Kuwait national team, and we are eagerly looking forward to it, fully confident in achieving victory tomorrow. The team has done excellent work over the past two days, and the training sessions are at a high and refined level. The Gulf Cup represents an ideal opportunity to try new elements and work towards a better football future for the Iraq national team."

The Australian coach added: "The current Iraq squad consists of 50% of the players who participated in the World Cup qualifiers, and 50% of new young faces ready to showcase their skills and potential. We are closely monitoring the hard work and effort put in by the Kuwaiti team, and we fully understand that they have a large group of outstanding and talented young players. We certainly respect our opponent a lot, and the match will not be easy at all."

Arnold confirmed that he will make changes to the starting lineup, stating: "We will make some changes to the lineup that faced Oman, in order to deal with fatigue, extreme heat, and humidity, especially since we have called up 26 players to represent the Iraqi people with high responsibility. Despite the previous disappointment in the sports community, we possess strength and character, and I am completely confident in the players' abilities and the fighting Iraqi spirit to achieve victory, and the players understand the importance of this match."

The coach stated: "We have now fully adapted to the climate and hot conditions in Jeddah, after having enough time to acclimatize over the past few days, and everyone is in perfect readiness to perform at their best and achieve the best possible result against Kuwait. Regarding the injuries that occurred against Oman, some players suffered muscle injuries due to the height of the grass on the pitch, and I hope the surface will be ready and in perfect condition tomorrow against Kuwait."

Regarding the reports about a crisis with the nutritionist and its impact on player fitness, Arnold settled the debate by saying: "The exclusion of the nutritionist was not the reason for the fatigue that occurred; we only had one day to prepare before the match against Oman, and we only trained on Monday. The responsibility lies with the player himself to maintain his fitness and physical readiness outside the camp. We have no issues in this regard at all, and the team will improve in the Gulf Cup over time and with more matches."

Australian coach Graham Arnold is looking forward to his second match in the Gulf Cup, having never previously led any national team in this tournament throughout his coaching career. His current experience with Iraq is his first outside his home country Australia in the Gulf region, and he aims to prove himself and achieve his first victory in the most prestigious Gulf tournament.