The Iraqi coach bets on 65,000 fans against the UAE national team… and prevents his players from using social networking sites

The coach of the Iraqi football team, Australian Graham Arnold, described his team’s match against the UAE national team tomorrow, Tuesday, as important and difficult, noting that he is betting on the presence of about 65,000 fans in the stands to support the “Lions of Mesopotamia.”
He said in the introductory press conference for the match, which was held today, Monday: “The large crowd attendance will make it difficult for the UAE national team’s mission on the field,” stressing that “the Iraqi fans are the 12th player on the field.”
He added: “Since the last first leg in Abu Dhabi, I have prevented the players from using social media sites in order to focus on the match.”
He continued: “The team performed well against the UAE team in Abu Dhabi, and I informed the players of the need to maintain the same level of performance throughout the 90 minutes.”
Arnold stressed that the team’s players are fully prepared for the match from a technical, mental and tactical standpoint, stressing that he informed the players of the importance of mental concentration as it is the most important weapon in the match.
The Iraqi national team coach revealed that he has four or five players who were injured recently, but at the same time he stressed the readiness of his team if the match goes to a penalty shootout.
The Iraqi national team coach indicated that he reviewed the team’s performance during the last first-leg match, which was held in Abu Dhabi and ended in a positive 1-1 draw, stressing that the national team did not play as a defender against the UAE national team.