Arnold makes important decision ahead of Iraq vs Saudi Arabia clash in Gulf 27

Graham Arnold, the coach of Iraq, has made an important decision before starting preparations for the match against Saudi Arabia in the third round of the Gulf Cup, Gulf 27, in Saudi Arabia, where the Lions of Mesopotamia will face their Green counterpart next Tuesday.

Arnold succeeded in achieving his first victory in the Gulf Cup yesterday, Saturday, after Iraq defeated Kuwait 3-2 in the second round of the tournament in a thrilling match where the Lions of Mesopotamia secured the three points in the final minute of stoppage time.

The Australian coach achieved multiple goals during the match against Kuwait, securing victory points and testing several players. The match saw Haydeer Abdulkareem and Josef Al-Imam make their official debut with the Iraq national team.

Sources close to the national team have stated that Iraq's coach Graham Arnold, after finishing the match against Kuwait, granted the players time to celebrate before asking them to sleep early in order to train well today, Sunday, especially since there is very little time to prepare for the upcoming match in which Iraq aims to achieve a positive result.

The Australian coach, after consulting with his assistant staff, decided that Iraq's training session this evening will be closed so that the players can concentrate well on the match and stay away from anything that might distract them, especially since they are currently experiencing the euphoria of victory. Therefore, he does not want any of them to make a statement that could negatively affect the team.

Arnold will try to assess the physical condition of some players today, including defender Josef Al-Imam, who left yesterday's match with pain. According to the initial diagnosis, the player suffered from a muscle strain but can participate in training today, and there are no issues preventing him from improving his readiness for the match against Saudi Arabia.

The Australian coach aims to successfully complete the group stage as Iraq faces Saudi Arabia in the third round next Tuesday in a highly anticipated match to determine the group leader. Younis Mahmoud, the president of the Iraq Football Association, issued a statement thanking the Lions of Mesopotamia and praised Arnold's management of the match, describing him as brave for including several young players in this crucial encounter.