DOHA: Qatar’s resolve to be one of the top three sides at the AFC U-23 Championship will be put to the test at the January 12-30 event that kicks of tomorrow.
Qatar, coached by former Barcelona youth manager Felix Sanchez, will take on regional powerhouse China when the two sides at Lekhwiya Stadium in the second match on the opening day of the three-week event.
The top three teams at the Doha event will get an automatic qualifying berth at the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro this year.
Sanchez guided Qatar’s U-19 team to the AFC Championship title in Myanmar in October 2014 and last year, the Spaniard managed the Qatar squad at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand in June last year.
With talented players like Akram Afif and 2014 AFC Young Player of the Year Ahmad Moein at his disposal, Qatar is likely to give a good account of themselves in front of home fans.
Qatar’s defence will be well-marshalled by the experienced Abdelkarim Hassan, who was part of Al Sadd’s 2011 AFC Champions League-winning squad, then aged just 17, and has already amassed over 40 caps for the senior team.
Qatar squad last month trained and played friendly matches in Spain where they conducted a two-week camp. Also known as ‘Al Anabi’, Qatar also played friendly matches on home soil at the end of last month and two days ago.
At the start of this year, Qatar spent a few days in chilly Turkey for a separate training camp which was later cut short due to extremely cold conditions in Antalya. Qatar, who are in Group A, will take on Iran on January 15 while the home side will play Syria in their last preliminary stage match on January 18.
Qatar midfielder Ahmed Fadil feels Qatar has ‘good chances’ of exhibiting quality football.
“Al Anabi has good chances to qualify for the football competition at the Olympic Games,” Fadil said.
“We will be trying out best in the AFC U23 Football Championship. Our fans are our biggest motivation. If they back us, then that will boost our confidence.
“We have played well during friendly matches. The friendly games have been helpful in building our confidence and planning regarding match tactics. “This is a big tournament with quality teams taking part. The competition will not be easy. Ours is a strong group with very strong sides.
“China, Syria and Iran are tough sides. We are confident that we will do well come the first match,” he added.
Defender Tameem Almuhaza said the squad is ‘well prepared’.
“Our team is aware of the big challenge facing us. This is a huge event for all the teams, including Qatar. Our first target is China. We are playing in a tough group but we feel ready to shine on the pitch,” Almuhaza said.
“We have trained well and played friendly games with a lot of dedication.
“We know that by doing well (finishing in top 3), we can qualify for Rio Olympic Games. The team management is making every effort to do make this dream a reality. We went to the FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand and now we are aiming at Rio Olympic Games.
“I would like to say the team has prepared really well. We are fully ready to hit the pitch for our first game. We will go step by step so that we remain focused. We are eagerly awaiting the start of the first match against China (on January 12). We will look for three points from each game we play,” he said.
Qatar’s Group A Fixtures:
January 12: Qatar vs China (Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium)
January 15: Qatar vs Iran (Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium)
January 18: Qatar vs Syria (Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium)
