More balanced I expected the odds in this great fight and I will necessarily go with the value here on the Kuwait side.
The two countries have many accounts, both soccer and politics, and are expected to be a battle not only for the victory but also for the history and honor of each country. Indeed, the Brazilian coach Jordan Viera, who had won the Asian Cup with Iraq, is on the bench in Kuwait to a great surprise in the history of Asian football.
In both teams the situation is not better. Iraq has been in a very bad state for a long time, not doing good football, and it does not get good results. The recent friendly was disappointing. Thunderbolt for the team is the absence of the great leader Younis Mahmoud, who is injured and will lose the tournament. It is not just a blow to the fight, I would say it is mostly psychological, since the whole team is concentrated around the big aggressor and all the players expect him to be difficult.
Kuwait also has a very big problem, as Seif Al Hashan is injured and will lose the game. 10's good team is out and already in the friendly game showed Kuwait to be creative and looking to exploit their aggressors. And in Kuwait, the situation is not ideal, the world does not trust the coach, who is constantly under consideration, while the team has come to the media and believe that the whole world is against them.
The Gulf Cup is the institution of Kuwait. It is the team that has the most conquests and I always remember Kuwait before starting the event to be in a strange situation, with problems and great doubt over the players and their value. Right now Iraq does not seem to be at its best and I think Kuwait has a golden chance to win here. I do not exclude the possibility of a draw.