Qatar players pose before a training session at Shah Alam Stadium, Selangor, Malaysia yesterday. Qatar take on hosts Malaysia in their 2015 Asian Cup qualifier today.
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia: Bouyed by an impressive just three days ago, Qatar coach Fahad Thani is confident that his team will not only qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup but will do so as winners of Group D.
With the top two teams advancing to Australia, the Qataris know that a draw with Malaysia at the Shah Alam Stadium today will be enough to send them through to the finals for the ninth time in 10 attempts.
However, Thani has set his sights higher and wants his players to go for a win that would keep them in touch with group leaders Bahrain before their showdown in Doha in the final round of qualifying matches next March.
“I believe my players have quality and they will be able to deal with any unexpected situations that may occur. We have come here with high confidence, not only to beat Malaysia but also to top our group,” Thani, who led Qatar to a 2-0 win over Malaysia in their group opener in February, said at a press conference.
“We know that Malaysia have a good style of play and I do not expect them to play as cautiously as they did against Bahrain last week because they also want to progress.
“But we have travelled to Malaysia to give our best performance and we have no problems with injuries.”
A narrow 1-0 defeat in Bahrain last Friday saw Malaysia drop five points behind Qatar with only two games left.
K Rajagobal’s side must now win today’s game as well as their final group match against Yemen to keep alive their hopes of reaching the finals.
“We intend to go into the game with a bold attitude,” said the Malaysia coach was quoted as saying in a post on www.the-afc.com. “The qualification competition has not yet ended and we still have two games left to complete our mission. In football, nothing is impossible so it is important for us to keep our focus and to do our best.”
While there will be plenty at stake in Shah Alam, there will be a lot less pressure on Bahrain when they host Yemen at the National Stadium in Manama, knowing that they have already sealed a spot in Australia.
But while he is missing five players through injury and suspension, coach Anthony Hudson does not want his team to take the match lightly.
“Although we have already secured our place in the finals, we will try our best in our last two matches and hopefully we can win the match against Yemen to remain on top of the group,” said the Englishman.
“We will make some minor changes to the squad that played against Malaysia but I have big confidence in the players that they will be able to put in a good performance and get the three important points. It would be great to finish the qualifiers on the top of the group and our players know how important it is to get the three points from Yemen.”
Yemen’s hopes of picking up their first points of the campaign will not be helped with the absence of defender Ahmed Al Khamri and midfielder Essam Al Worafi through suspension. “The odds are clearly in favour of Bahrain since they are playing at home in front of their fans and they have recently secured their place in the finals while we have lost our chance to qualify,” said Yemen coach Sami Naash.
“However, our players are under no pressure and this match will give them a chance to put in a good performance that will reflect well on the good level of Yemeni football.” AGENCIES
