Tunisia Coach Expresses Hope for Quarterfinals in Arab Cup 2025
Tunisia's national football team coach, Sami Trabelsi, has expressed his hope to see the Carthage Eagles reach the quarterfinals of the Arab Cup 2025, ahead of tomorrow's match against host country Qatar, which will conclude the group stage.
Trabelsi explained during the pre-match press conference on Saturday that the fate of qualification is no longer solely in Tunisia's hands, as it also depends on the result of the other match between Syria and Palestine. "The match tomorrow represents the last chance to qualify for the next round. We must win to continue our journey. We have worked to motivate the players to offer the best possible performance, and we will give everything to stay in the competition," he stated.
He added that the Tunisian team will have to do without Ismaël Gharbi, who has rejoined his German club Augsburg at their request, despite a prior agreement between the team and the club.
Regarding the 2026 World Cup draw, which took place yesterday in Washington, the national coach considered it "extremely difficult," with Tunisia facing strong teams like the Netherlands, while affirming his team's determination to surpass the first round. "The Tunisian supporters in Qatar always support the team and encourage them. We believe in our chances and want to bring them satisfaction with a good result tomorrow," he further emphasized.
For his part, striker Seifeddine Jaziri assured that the match against Qatar is decisive in the qualification race. "It's a crucial match, and we must play to win in order to keep our chances of advancing to the next round," he highlighted.
As the top scorer in the previous edition of the Arab Cup, Jaziri stated that the current conditions differ from those of the last tournament, where Tunisia had reached the final. "The Qatari team has quality players, with strong points that the Tunisian technical staff has analyzed. We will also seek to exploit the weaknesses of the opponent to obtain the best possible result," he concluded.
The Tunisia-Qatar match, counting for the 3rd and final day of Group A, will take place on Sunday at 6:00 PM (Tunis time) at the Al-Bayt Stadium.
