Abu Al-Shamat: Playing alongside my brother in the national team is a source of pride, and our goal is to lift the Gulf Cup

Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat has spoken of his pride at lining up alongside his brother Saleh for Saudi Arabia, and made clear his hunger to win the Arabian Gulf Cup, "Gulf 27".

Saudi Arabia face Oman tomorrow, Saturday, at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah, in the second round of the group stage.

Speaking to the media on Friday, in comments carried by the Saudi newspaper "Al-Youm", Abu Al-Shamat said: "I am proud to play with Saleh in the national team. If we have produced a distinguished performance, it is thanks to all the players, for we are all one family here, and we are all brothers."

He has switched from full-back to winger, and he explained the change: "I received instructions from the coach (Georgios) Donis, and I applied them on the pitch. I am ready to play anywhere the Saudi national team needs me, whether as a winger or a full-back."

"We are not suffering from any pressure, we have high confidence, we are playing the tournament in front of our fans, and we want to make the most of that," he added. "We take each match on its own, and we are working on focus in order to lift the cup and make the fans happy."

Turning to the opposition, he concluded: "The coach gave us a lecture about the Oman national team, and we studied them well. We are working on applying that and giving everything we have, in order to prepare for tomorrow's match."

Victory of any kind against Oman will send Saudi Arabia through to the semi-finals, whatever happens in their third-round clash with Iraq next Tuesday.