Oman coach Paul Le Guen has played down the influence of facing a former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate when his side battle Qatar for a Gulf Cup final place.
– UAE hitman Mabkhout has eyes on the prize
– Mahdi Ali believes his side can cope with hostile hosts
The Red Warriors pulled off one of the most stunning results in the competition’s history to make the last four, substitute Salim Said’s 15-minute hat-trick helping to thrash Group B leaders Kuwait 5-0.
Reward for that emphatic win comes tonight against Djamel Belmadi’s outfit. The two bosses were briefly together with PSG during the 1995-96 season, Le Guen a lauded France international centre-back while Belmadi was a young midfielder trying to force his way into the first team.
Despite this shared bond, the former declared this would make little difference during the clash at King Fahd International Stadium.
“I know him very well, we shared some good moments at PSG,” Le Guen said. “It is always a pleasure to meet him. It is not because I know him that I will know his tactics, it is totally different.”
Le Guen was quick to play down the euphoria gained against Kuwait, insisting Oman’s focus remained sharp.
The ex-Lyon and Glasgow Rangers boss said: “We are very proud to reach the semi-final, we are very ambitious and want to go further.
“We have stayed very calm, we celebrated it after game. But I am not a newcomer in football, the most difficult thing is to confirm.
“We won’t win 5-0, we know that. Only aim is to qualify. We are not lucky to play Qatar, we know their quality. I respect a lot Djamel and his players – we are not lucky.
“They had a very good game against Saudi in the opening game.”
Group A runners-up Qatar come into the match following a dull run to the knockout phases, a side minus attacking stars Khalfan Ibrahim and Sebastian Soria scoring one goal on their way to three successive draws. An added problem could come in the fact that illness forced Belmadi to miss yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
Assistant boss Serge Romano stepped into his superior’s boots, declaring Qatar’s youthful players will continue to improve with experience during the competition.
He said: “We prepare this game with confidence, very quietly. We have a good purpose to do that, and we believe in our chance to pass.
“We know Le Guen, he played with Djamel. We are ready to play and compete, to pass this test.
“I don’t think the pressure is on. We have a young team with quality, it is the first time they’ve faced a competition. They do not have experience and have little fear. They have learned a lot, and they have improved in confidence.
“Oman is a better team than two or three years ago. They have improved their tempo, you can see they worked hard on this.
“We know how they play. We are not afraid of this game.”