Srečko Katanec: We will rely only on ready players

Iraq coach Katanec stressed the importance of facing Yemen despite the fact that they have already qualified for the semi final of the Gulf 24.

“The Yemeni team does not look that easy,” he told the pre-match press conference. “They are looking for rehabilitation and they have good players. If you are not ready, they will punish you.”

Regarding the possibility of some players joining the championship, Katanec stressed that Hussein did not recover after an injury and did not train with his club, and there is no chance for him to join.

He added: “For Hamam Tariq, things are going according to the rules of the tournament and we have no chance to make him join the team. We have 17 players. We play all the time. We do not have time even for training, and we do not need to strengthen our team.”

On the injury of Saad Nateq, the coach of Iraq said: “The player suffered a broken nose, I hope that he will be ready soon or we will find an appropriate alternative.”

On his question about who will play in the Yemen game, he explained: “I honestly do not know who will play. I will only choose ready players, because it is an important match for us. We came after participating in the qualifiers, and we played against the best teams. We have training sessions today, some players must be rested.”

Regarding leaking the squad list for the press and media, he stated: “I have no answer. I am sorry, I cannot do anything about this. I respect my work but because of some journalists and social media, these things happen. I do not care about that.”

He concluded: “In all cases, I want to prepare the team for the next game. Winning or losing are always expected in football.”