Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the second round
The matches of the third and final round of the first round of the Gulf Cup will begin today.
Iraq will host its Yemeni counterpart at Basra International Stadium in Group A competitions.
Iraq tops the group with four points, collected from a tie against Oman and a victory over Saudi Arabia, while Yemen bottoms the group without points, after losing to Oman and Saudi Arabia.
This is the meeting No. 20 between the teams of Iraq and Yemen, and the previous confrontations witnessed an overwhelming superiority for the Iraqi team, which won 16 matches, against two draws and one loss. The Lions of Mesopotamia scored 49 goals, while the Yemeni national team scored 10 goals.
Within the framework of the matches of the same group and at the same time, Oman, which occupies second place with four points and on goal difference behind leaders Iraq, will play against the Saudi national team, which occupies third place with three points.
And Saudi Arabia needs to win to ensure qualification, and it is possible to qualify in the event of a tie, provided that Iraq loses from Yemen by a difference of more than two goals.
As for the Oman national team, a draw suffices it to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Saudi national team is superior to its Omani counterpart in the history of direct confrontations between the two countries, as Saudi Arabia won 15 matches, compared to four victories for Oman, while four matches ended in a draw.
The teams participating in the tournament are divided into two groups, the first includes Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman, while the second includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
Two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held according to the knockout system.
This is the second time that Iraq has hosted this tournament, after the 1979 edition, which was held in the capital, Baghdad.