Gulf Times
Qatar kick-off their European Zone qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 2022 today with a match against Luxembourg in Debrecen, Hungary.
Felix Sanchez’s men will play two more matches against Azerbaijan on March 27 and the Republic of Ireland on March 30 as they prepare for next year’s World Cup at home. Portugal and Serbia are the other two teams in Qatar’s group.
Qatar were invited to play in the European Zone qualifiers by UEFA as head coach Sanchez identifies players he can rely on for the World Cup. On the eve of the game, Sanchez said that the team is in high spirits as they approach their European matches with excitement.
‘The match against Luxembourg will not be easy. Luxembourg have a number of good players in their team but Qatar players have grown accustomed to high-pressure games,’ the Spaniard said yesterday.
Sanchez said playing three games in a week would not be a problem for his 28-member squad. ‘The depth of the squad is good. Playing three matches in a week is nothing new for the players, especially given the circumstances and the quality of the opposition. We look to get good results in the qualifiers,’ Sanchez added.
As the World Cup host nation, Qatar has already qualified for the tournament and with their matches in Europe main considered as friendly. Sanchez said his players would approach the matches will all seriousness. ‘We will play in these qualifiers with a strong team and will seek to achieve good results, just like any other matches. Although the results will not be counted in the ranking of the group, this will not be a hindrance to work and development and provide the opportunity for players,’ he said.
Qatar will miss star forward Akram Afif, who is not in the squad after suffering a thigh muscle injury in the QNB Stars League. Afif is expected to be out of action for six weeks.
Al Duhail’s Bassam al-Rawi, who suffered a serious injury during the Gulf Cup in 2019, is making a comeback while his teammate and goalkeeper Salah Zakaria has got his maiden call-up. Meanwhile, Qatar’s captain and midfielder Hassan al-Haydos said that participating in the European World Cup qualifiers will be a different challenge compared to the ones the team faced in the past. He added however that the team is glad to get the experience as they prepare for the World Cup.