Illness strikes Deniz ahead of the Saudi Arabia and Iraq battle

A surprise blow

Saudi Arabia have been dealt a surprise blow ahead of their eagerly anticipated clash against Iraq in the final round of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" group stage. Greek head coach Georgios Donis went missing at a crucial moment, sparking questions over why he was absent before the last match in Group One.

According to "Asharq Al-Awsat", a cold "influenza" kept Donis from overseeing the team's collective training sessions yesterday. It was a surprise development, and it landed right before the anticipated meeting with Iraq.

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His absence went beyond the training pitch. Donis also skipped the press conference for the Iraq match, scheduled for tomorrow, sending assistant Serafeim Angelinas to speak in his place about Saudi Arabia's preparations for the game that closes out their group campaign.

All of this comes as Saudi Arabia chase more positive results in the tournament, having already booked their place in the semi-finals thanks to back-to-back wins over Kuwait and Oman in the first two rounds.

Comfort, then, is on their side. Qualification to the golden square was secured before the final round even kicked off, letting the coaching staff approach the Iraq match with their ticket already stamped while chasing a positive finish to the group.

Whether Donis returns to oversee training before the Iraq clash remains up in the air. Influenza kept him away from the session and the press conference as Saudi Arabia gear up for their last match in Group One, before moving on to the semi-finals of the Gulf tournament.