Qatar players in action during a training session.
Doha: Asian champions Qatar will not be paying too much attention to Bangladesh’s low rankings when the two sides clash in a FIFA and AFC joint qualifier tomorrow.
The Group E clash of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifying phase will be played at Al Duhail Stadium.
According to influential defender Karim Boudiaf, Qatar will ignore Bangladesh’s 184 ranking on the FIFA computer.
Qatar, who won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup by beating Asian powerhouse Japan in the final in the UAE, are ranked 59.
“I don’t think any qualifying match is easy. I don’t think any one of us is considering our match against Bangladesh as an easy clash,” Boudiaf said as coach Felix Sanchez’s boys hit the training pitch yesterday.
“We don’t want to fall into a trap by taking an opposition lightly. I remember we played a goalless draw against India in Doha in front of our own fans. To begin with, there are no easy matches,” he added.
Coach Felix Sanchez
“We will be playing with all seriousness to present our best level in order to get a win. We have to fight. At the moment, we are looking at ways to get three points and take Qatar forward (in the qualifying phase) and reach the finals to defend our title,” Boudiaf said.
He added: “This match is completely different from the three matches that we played during the Turkish and Austrian training camps. There is a big difference in the level of all teams, then and now. Having said that, what is important is that the Bangladesh match is an international match and we will treat it as such without becoming complacent.”
Qatar player Abdel Rahman said he is ‘thrilled to be back playing for Qatar’.
“I am happy to return to the national team and I hope to live up to expectations of my coach and my team mates,” Rahman said after training yesterday.
“An important match awaits us against the Bangladesh national team and it would be a mistake if think that it would be easy. There are no easy matches in football, especially after all sides are returning to action from COVID-19 situation. Yes, we are at the top of our group and I know that every player seeks to present his best level. Everyone is ready to play,” he added.
Rahman concluded by saying: “We are happy with the resumption of football activity at the national level and we hope that our return will be strong against Bangladesh.”
Last week coach Sanchez named 23 players for the match against Bangladesh.
Although Qatar national team has booked a direct qualification ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup as the host country, the team is competing to obtain qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup as it aspires to defend the title that it won in 2019.
Qatar are at the top of Group E (13 points from five matches) while last-placed Bangladesh has one point from four games.
The previous encounter between the two teams saw Qatar winning 2-0 in their away clash held in Dhaka.
Oman (12 points), Afghanistan (4 points) and India (3 points) are the other sides in the group.
