'We all want to be regional champions': UAE boss Paulo Bento eager to go all the way in Gulf Cup

National team set to face Qatar in their opening game in Kuwait on Saturday night

UAE head coach Paulo Bento takes training in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE manager Paulo Bento says that while his side are focused on their primary objective of World Cup qualification, they are fully motivated to win the country's first Arabian Gulf Cup title since 2013.

After suffering some poor results in the October international break, the UAE got their bid to reach the expanded 2026 global finals back on track in style last month when they beat Kyrgyzstan 3-0 before hammering Qatar 5-0 in Abu Dhabi.

That spectacular result completed a double for Bento's side who were 2-1 winners in Doha earlier in the campaign, and they will renew hostilities with the Qataris when they get their Gulf Cup Group A campaign under way in Kuwait on Saturday night (11pm).

“I think since the beginning [of my tenure] our task was the World Cup qualifiers, and of course our objective is still to reach the finals,” Bento said when asked of his targets during a pre-match press conference on Friday.

“When we enter this kind of competition [Gulf Cup], we know how important this is for all the countries involved. Even if we have some experience in other competitions, this is also a challenge for us because it's a difficult tournament. All teams want to become the regional champions, and we are going into it with the same ambitions. That’s to win.”

Bento was also quick to dismiss the notion that his side have the upper hand against Qatar, given recent results. Forward Fabio De Lima found the net four times in that 5-0 win in November before celebrating with a McDonald's drive thru. The result cost Qatar boss Marquez Lopez his job just under a year after he took over from Carlos Queiroz.

Luis Garcia, who was assistant to Lopez, is now at the helm and the former Espanyol manager’s first task is to steer his side's Gulf Cup campaign and turn the tables on the UAE in his first official game in charge.

“We shouldn’t think too much of the two previous games. Of course, we won twice against them in the World Cup qualifiers but that doesn’t guarantee a win for us,” Bento said on Friday.

“The result of our last meeting was because of our preparations that went according to our plans, but this is a new game, meaning we go into this match on equal terms.”

While highlighting the success of their forward planning last time out, Bento has had no such luxury this time.

“It was difficult due to the lack of time to prepare the team, to prepare the strategy, as some of the players were involved in playing for their clubs [in the Pro League] until Tuesday," said the Portuguese coach.

“We just met all the players yesterday. We had a training the day before. However, we are not making any excuses, but our goal and our obligation is trying to do our best even in this kind of condition.

“We’ll try to bring the best possible information regarding the opponent, prepare the strategy in two days.

“The training yesterday was important, of course. Today, we cannot make many things because it's the day before the game, but we will try, of course, to do our best in order to get a good result and make a good game, trying to perform.”

Group A

December 21: Kuwait v Oman (9pm UAE)

December 21: UAE v Qatar (11pm)

December 24: Oman v Qatar (6.25pm)

December 24: Kuwait v UAE (9.30pm)

December 27: Kuwait v Qatar (6.30pm)

December 27: UAE v Oman (6.30pm)

Group B

December 22: Iraq v Yemen (6.25pm)

December 22: Saudi Arabia v Bahrain (9.30pm)

December 25: Yemen v Saudi Arabia (6.25pm)

December 25: Iraq v Bahrain (9.30pm)

December 28: Iraq v Saudi Arabia (6.30pm)

December 28: Bahrain v Yemen (6.30pm)