Coach Jose Daniel Carreno makes a point during a training session yesterday. At bottom, Qatar star Hassan al-Haydos smiles for the cameras while going through his fitness drills.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Qatar have been in fine form recently, having won five matches in a row, with their 1-0 win over China being the latest feather in their cap. Their cup of confidence will be brimming and they will need it to stay that way today because they will be taking on the mighty Turkey team in a friendly international at the Abdullah bin Khalifa stadium.
Qatar are currently ranked 85th, having gained seven places in October on the basis of their strong showings. But despite this jump they will be facing a Turkey side who are currently 67 places ahead of them. That gives you a measure of how tough Qatar’s opponents are.
Qatar are playing this game as part of their preparation for the upcoming round of World Cup qualifiers. They will be playing Bhutan in five days’ time and considering that the Maroons had registered a record 15-0 victory against them, this match will be more to evaluate Qatar’s level against such a strong opposition.
“Our target from the Turkey clash is that we want a positive result by playing a bold game. It will be a big opportunity for players to hit the pitch and get some match practice. This team has a lot to offer in terms of quality and fitness. If we get a good result, that will boost us further in FIFA rankings,” said Qatar coach Jose Daniel Carreno during the pre-match press conference yesterday.
Carreno has a few injury worries but he believes that he has the players who will step up and deliver. “Our preparations began a few days ago. During this period, we trained with two games in mind - one friendly against Turkey and then our game against Bhutan (November 17). I have already announced the list of players. There are a few changes (from the last game) since my players have picked up injuries. But I feel I still have a group of players that can deliver for us in both games. The game against Turkey is a good opportunity for us to assess our situation. The clash against Turkey will help us prepare for Bhutan clash,” the Uruguayan said.
One of the key players for Qatar who will be missing out is Khalfan Ibrahim. Carreno wanted the diminutive striker to play this game but feels that Ibrahim still needs more match fitness.
“Khalfan Ibrahim is not ready 100 percent. I wanted him to play this game but it was decided that he goes back to Al Sadd and regain match fitness. It was decided that Ibrahim needs more time to regain full fitness. The player has accepted our stance. I wish the best and hope that he recovers fast. We know he is a valuable player and want him back.”
Turkey have indicated that they will be looking to give youngsters international exposure through this match. Coach Fatih Terim has called up fresh faces but his team will still boast of stars like Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan. Turkey are themselves on a super high having earned a surprise qualification to the Euro 2016 at the expense of giants The Netherlands.
The Qatar players will have to give it their all to be competitive in this match and striker Mohamed Muntari knows the enormity of the task ahead of them. “We will have to fight on the pitch in order to get a positive result. I think it is an important match for us against Turkey. We would like to win so that we can maintain a winning streak because we are playing a very important game against Bhutan on Tuesday,” said Muntari.
