BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: Hosts Qatar will be keen to avoid complacency against lowly-ranked Bhutan when the two sides clash in a 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifying match at Al Sadd Stadium today.
Qatar, who struggled before beating Maldives 1-0 in their opening Group C clash in June, today resume their qualifying campaign that could eventually lead them to their first ever World Cup finals in Russia.
Bhutan, who are coached by Japan’s Norio Tsukitate, are ranked 168 on the FIFA computer.
But Qatar coach Daniel Carreno won’t read too much into Bhutan’s world ranking.
“We know some teams (that lack experience) can complicate things. This happens in international football when you take small teams easy,” Carreno said yesterday.
“They will be playing to win and to get points. We must exploit chances that come our way,” Carreno added.
“We suffered against the Maldives (in June) and we scored in the last few seconds. It was a good lesson for us. We hope we have learnt our lesson from that game,” Carreno said.
“Such teams can make you suffer. We will be trying to get three points. We will know what happens tomorrow,” the Uruguayan added. “But I can tell you it won’t be an easy match.”
Carreno was quick to remind media people about his side’s 4-0 win against Singapore on Friday.
“We have prepared well. We got a game against Singapore and before that, we were in Europe for a training camp (in Switzerland and Austria). And now we are playing Bhutan. So we feel we are ready,” Carreno said.
Ranked 95 in the world, Qatar will be playing their first of two qualifying games within five days. Soon after today’s game, Qatar will fly out to Hong Kong where they will play their next Group C clash on September 8.
Carreno said playing on home soil had its advantages though a positive result could not be guaranteed.
“Surely we will be playing on home soil. The playing surface is really good,” Carreno explained.
“Qatar players are used to playing on this pitch and in such conditions. But then for Bhutan, this is a very good pitch too. They might play better in such a great stadium,” the Uruguayan warned.
When asked about Qatar’s last chance to reach 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, Carreno said: “It is too early to say whether we will reach the World Cup in Russia (in 2018). Usually a coach wants to play with the best possibilities. But we must focus on the Bhutan game first. We are here to get the points.”
Carreno admitted his players were under pressure to create Qatar history.
“Yes, there’s always pressure to qualify for the World Cup (but) we enjoy such situations,” Carreno said. “We are enthusiastic that we are trying to reach Russia. We have good (bench) strength to reach Russia World Cup. But we are still far away,” he said.
Carreno said lack of match practice was on the minds of the Qatar players.
“There is a difference between playing friendlies and when players come from a league for such games,” Carreno said.
“Players improve gradually when they come off after a break. We are aware of this. We are trying to overcome (the lack of match practice),” he added.
“Since I took over this side (in May), I have not been able to make much changes. I haven’t had the time to make big changes. In general I know the capabilities of players is high. Soon they will be playing according to their own style,” he added.
When asked about his team tactics, Carreno quickly said: “The team formation has been decided. It won’t be much difference to the game we played against Singapore. As I said, not much change.”
Bhutan coach Tsukitate said he was satisfied with his team’s preparation ahead of the Doha clash against Qatar.
“We’ve had what you call normal preparation. We have had domestic league games two weeks ago. We arrived yesterday and right now we are very relaxed,” Tsukitate said. “Yes, we will be trying 100 percent to win the game. We will try to do our best. Qatar is a strong side in Asia. We joined international (rank) not very long ago. We lack experience. We need to get good results. We have to try 100 percent,” he added.
Tsukitate said it was difficult to predict a winner.
“I have no idea - every team has a chance to win. Nobody can say what the results will be like. Qatar is one of the stronger sides in this group,” Tsukitate said.
“I have 22 players. Three are injured. One has a groin concern. Maybe it would be difficult to play him. This is football. I have players who offer quality. But there will be stress, or some player may suffer a headache (smiles) and may pull out,” he said.
“I watched DVDs of Qatar games at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia. I watched all three games. Sometimes I use Internet to watch games of our opponents. Now I have to focus on my players. In my brain, there is no space for Qatar tactics,” Tsukitate said.
THE PENINSULA
