Katanec: Tomorrow’s game is not different

Iraq’s coach said on Wednesday at the conference ahead of the semi-final clash in Gulf 24 against Bahrain that his team is doing what it has to do so far.

He added: “We came here with a lot of young people. Tomorrow’s game is no different than others. We forgot the red card, and we will give our all.”

Regarding their chances of qualifying for the final, he said: “If we listen to the media and the fans, we will not do what we have to do. We will prepare ourselves for that and we will train well. We will try to put pressure on Bahrain national team. We have fans on the pitch and this is good.”

“The Bahrain team is good. We should not underestimate it. They defeated Iran and scored four goals against Kuwait. I respect them and it is the same for the players.”

“As I said before, every game is different. We cannot expect what they will do, and they will not expect what we will do. We are here to win the game. The players know what I want from them, and within 90 minutes, we must think about our actions and work as a team. My message to the referees is to reduce the use of the VAR. They must make decisions themselves to show their personality. I am not against the VAR technology but it ruins the flavor of the game.”