Al-Salmi: "Algeria or Iraq? I'd Prefer the Team I Can Beat to Reach Arab Cup Semifinals"

Jordan national team coach Jamal Al-Salmi confirmed his aim is to reach the Arab Cup semifinals, refusing to choose his next quarter-final opponent between Algeria and Iraq.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of tomorrow's match against Egypt on Tuesday (15:30 GMT+1), Al-Salmi said: "We watched the World Cup draw, and the most important thing is that our opponents for the FIFA dates in March and then June have been identified."

He continued: "We have a long time to think about the World Cup, and the most important thing is to identify the footballing philosophies we will face in March and June, and then determine the location of our initial training camp."

Regarding the possibility of facing Algeria in the Arab Cup quarter-finals, he explained: "Algeria is among the favorites to win the title because they have good quality players and an experienced coach, who also won the previous edition."

He concluded: "If we face Algeria, we will study them well and try to develop a roadmap that allows us to qualify. Our ambition is to advance in the competition. Algeria or Iraq? I'd prefer the team I can beat and move on to the semifinals."