DOHA: As many as three players from the prestigious Qatar Stars League will be featuring in the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.
Al Gharafa, 2014 league champions, Lekhwiya and Umm Salal have all had one player each selected to head to the World Cup.
They are Australian veteran midfielder Mark Bresciano (Al Gharafa), Iranian defender Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal) and Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwiya).
Madjid Bougherra:
The 2014 QSL champ has had another successful season as his side largely dominated the domestic Qatari league. With Algeria in Group H they have a real possibility to qualify; their opponents will be South Korea, Russia and Belgium.
This group won’t be easy but at the same time only Belgium stands out as a real threat to the Desert Foxe’s chances of qualification.
Bougherra, 31 will probably be appearing for the last time at a major finals for his nation, a natural leader and physically robust defender, he will most likely feature in the first eleven in Brazil.
A key player for Algeria will be France-born Sofiane Feghouli, 24, the attacking midfielder for Valencia was described a year ago by Arsene Wenger as “exceptional” and “a physical beast”.
Diego Maradona and Rivaldo have also been queuing up to sing the virtues of Algeria’s class of 2014 - the only Arab nation present in Brazil. Maradona predicts Algeria “will cause a surprise”, while Rivaldo says “the possibilities of reaching the second round are abundant”.
Mark Bresciano:
The Gharafa attacking midfielder will have a big challenge ahead of him with his Socceroo team-mates as they are possibly in one of the toughest World Cup groups.
Group B sees them pitted against 2010 World Cup Finalists Spain and the Netherlands not to mention a decent Chilean side.
Australia qualified behind Japan and largely struggled to impress with some late goals sparing their blushes.
Bresciano is one of Australia’s most talented footballers and has a renowned eye for goal. He usually plays his football on the left side of midfield but can also play as a forward and in the central or right midfield role.
A versatile player who often assists in both attack and defense and is also a set-piece specialist.
The 34-year-old stepped away from the Australian side after the 2010 World Cup in what was described then as a “sabbatical” from the team, returning in February 2012 he instantly re-established himself in the side. The break from the national team was due to a persistent back problem which plagued the player, forcing him to have surgery to correct the issue. The opener against Chile will be key to deciding things as the two Group B underdogs play each other in the Amazon, before facing off against the Netherlands and Spain.
Pejman Montazeri:
Carlos Queiroz the Iranian national team coach has chosen the 24 players who will fly out to Brazil for the World Cup which will be played from June 12 to July 13.
Queiroz added to his list the defender Pejman Montazeri who plies his trade in the QSL. The defender arrived last season and although Umm Salal struggled at the start, his assured performances in the second half of the season helped Salal shore up their defense and go on a run that saw them move from relegation to finish in 7th position in the league.
Iran will be participating in the World Cup for the fourth time after playing in 1978, 1998, and 2006 in Germany.
Primarily a domestic-based squad, Iran will do well to improve on their World Cup record of one win in nine attempts. They only conceded twice in eight matches during the final qualifying phase. Iran will be in Group F with Nigeria, Argentina and Bosnia Herzegovina.THE PENINSULA
