AFC
Doha: Qatar head coach Ilidio Vale has yet to decide whether forward Ahmed Al Rawi will feature in his side’s AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ quarter-final against Japan at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday as the Al Rayyan striker continues to struggle with his fitness.
Al Rawi scored in the hosts’ win over Indonesia in the tournament opener but played no part in the clashes with Jordan or Australia as Qatar won Group A and Vale remained coy about the 22-year-old's availability for the clash with Go Oiwa’s side.
“He’s currently recovering from an injury so I’m only going to have him join the game if he is 100 percent ready for it,” said the Portuguese coach. “However so far we have not yet decided regarding his participation.”
The Qataris go into the game with an unbeaten record in the tournament so far but are facing a nation that has an remarkable track record in both the AFC U23 Asian Cup and in qualifying for the Olympic Games.
The Japanese won the title in 2016 and have appeared at every Olympic tournament since 1996 but Vale believes Qatar’s recent successes, including the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ victory in January, will give his players a confidence boost.
“The senior team won the last two Asian Cups and this gives the under 23 players a very positive morale boost,” he said. “It doesn’t put pressure on them because this is a different competition.
“The aim is different, which is qualifying for the Olympics. We are facing different teams than we faced at the Asian Cup . Our under 23 team is on the right track and I’m confident. This is a team that can win against any team, we do not fear other teams.”
Japan come into the game off the back of a 1-0 loss at the hands of Korea Republic in their final Group B game on Monday and Oiwa knows the Qataris will have the added incentive of performing in front of their own fans.
“We’ve watched their three games, we have done good analysis of them and we’re quite confident,” said the former Kashima Antlers coach, who will once again be without Ryuya Nishio as he serves the third of his three-match ban for his sending off against China PR.
“We know the fans have a good impact on the team but it’s a one-off game and we’re going to focus on that and we won’t let that affect our team."
“I told my players that the important thing is to focus on each game, the game in front of us and we have to keep winning, that’s the ultimate goal.
“We know Qatar usually enters a game very enthusiastically but we also need to show our aggressiveness regarding our attacking skills.”
Qatar v Japan
Venue: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (Doha)
Kick-off: 17:00 (UTC+3)