DRAGON FIGHT!
QATAR coach Jorge Fossati will have points to ponder when he boards the flight for China on Sunday for their 2018 World Cup qualifier, to be played in Kunming on November 15.
The Uruguayan can be optimistic after helping Qatar snap their three-match losing streak with a 1-0 home win against Syria last month, which helped them move up to fifth in the six-team Group A. And almost all his players are high on confidence after enjoying positive outings with their clubs in the Qatar Stars League.
Al Annabi’s recent record against China has been impressive. In the last five matches played between the two, Qatar have won three with China managing just one victory. The pressure is on Team Dragon as they are on the brink, having collected just one point from four rounds, with a reversal against Qatar sure to dash their hopes of playing a second World Cup finals. Iran lead the group with 10 points,while Uzbekistan (nine), South Korea (seven) and Syria (four) are behind them.
Yet, all is not well with Fossati as he will miss four senior players, three of them defenders, due to a suspension by FIFA. The world governing body has banned Ahmed Yasser, Khaled Muftah and Meshaal Abdullah for three matches and Abdulkarim Hassan for two games following their altercation with officials and rival players in the final round’s opening match against Iran in Tehran. They will be missed, especially in the March fixtures against tougher opponents Iran (at home) and Uzbekistan (away).
As a cover, Fossati has picked defenders Hamad Ismail, Mousa Haroon and young Salem Al Hajri, who has impressed this season in right-back’s role with Sadd.
Top two teams from both Group A and B will book their berths at the Russia finals. The third-placed teams will fight it out over two legs, with the successful side taking on CONCACAF play-off winners for the fifth spot.
Qatar (FIFA ranking 91) and China (84) look almost even on paper. While Fossati replaced Daniel Carreno after three games in the third round, the East Asians will play for the first time under Marcello Lippi, their third manager, after Alain Perrin and Gao Hongbo, since the qualification began.
Like Fossati, Lippi has taken over the national team after achieving success at the club level, with Guangzhou Evergrande, but admitted that it would be a tough task. Except forward Zhang Yuning and goalkeeper Li Zheng, who are based in the Netherlands and Portugal respectively, the entire group of players are plying their trade with native clubs. It should make Lippi’s job easier as he knows them from his successful Guangzhou stint, from 2012 to 2014.
