Sanchez names squad for training camp ahead of WC qualifiers

Doha:  Qatar’s national team head coach Felix Sanchez yesterday named a 30-member squad for a training camp in Nottingham ahead of last two 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Syria and China.
The Qatari team is scheduled to play Syria on August 31 in Malaysia before hosting China on September 5 in Group A that also features Iran, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
Qatari striker Sebastian Soria, midfielder Rodrigo Tabata and defender Mohammed Kasola were all omitted from the recent squad.
The national team’s training program, which runs from August 2 to 17, features three friendlies starting with Leeds United on August 9, then Nottingham Forest on August 13 before wrapping up the camp with a friendly against Andorra three days later.
Trainings will take place on a daily basis until the team’s return to Doha on August 17, with the squad resuming training the next day for five days.
The team will fly to Malaysia on August 29 for the Syria tie before returning to Doha on September 1 to prepare for the final round match against China which will be played four days later. Players will then be released to join their teams ahead of the new domestic season.
Qatar are currently fifth in the World Cup qualifiers group with seven points.