The UAE national football team opens its Arabian Gulf Cup campaign on Thursday evening against Yemen in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marking the first major test for new head coach Zlatko Dalic. The Croatian tactician, who led his country to the 2018 World Cup final, took charge of the UAE side in August and has built an experienced coaching staff around him, including assistant Vedran Corluka, a former Manchester City and Tottenham defender, and Igor Biscan, the former Liverpool midfielder now overseeing the UAE Under-23 team.
The UAE have won the Gulf Cup twice, in 2007 and 2013, but have gone 13 years without lifting the trophy. Dalic's squad blends senior campaigners with fresh faces, including Brazil-born Shabab Al Ahli forwards Guilherme Bala and Yuri Cesar. Ismail Matar, a two-time Gulf Cup winner who scored five goals during the 2007 triumph, has joined Dalic's technical staff, bringing tournament pedigree to the dugout.
"Our ambition must be to win everything," Dalic said ahead of the opener. "Our first goal will be to get past the group stage and reach the semi-final."
This year's tournament features eight teams, with the UAE looking to Thursday's fixture in Jeddah to set the tone for their campaign. The appointment of a World Cup-final coach signals renewed ambition from the UAE Football Association, which is hoping Dalic's international experience can end the country's long wait for a third Gulf Cup title.