Qatar set to clash with Serbia today, Portugal on Saturday as preparations for 2022 FIFA World Cup continue
The Qatari national team will continue their preparations for next year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar as they trade tackles with their Serbian counterparts today and Portugal on Saturday in the European qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
All the matches will be played at the 20,000-capacity Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary.
Grouped in A, the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts who are participating in the qualifiers as guests have been impressive so far, having won two of the three matches played against Luxembourg, Azerbaijan. The last match against the Republic of Ireland ended in a draw making the Qatari team's points tally seven out of a possible nine.
Though the games do not count as official fixtures and are instead considered friendlies, participating in the UEFA tournament will further boost the coach Felix Sanchez team's preparedness for the global sporting spectacle to be held in the Middle East the first time next year.
Ahead of the two matches, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) had announced a 31-strong squad which will eventually be pruned to 23. Most of the players who prosecuted the last CONCACAF Gold Cup, where the team narrowly missed the final after being edged 1-0 by the eventual champions the USA in the last-four, featured prominently in the list.
The team, which has had a highly intensive training camp in Austria before moving to Hungary, includes Saad Al-Sheeb, Mishaal Barshim, Mahmoud Abu Nada, Youssef Hassan, Salah Zakaria, Pedro, and Abdul Karim Hassan. Others are Tariq Salman, Ahmed Suhail, Musab Khader, Bassam Al-Rawi, Hammam Al-Amin, Khaki Boualem, Mohamed Waad, Assem Madbo, Karim Boudiaf, Ismail Mohamed, Abdullah Al-Ahraq, Abdullah Marafieh, Abdulaziz Hatem, Jassem Jaber, Akram Afif, Hassan Al-Haydos, Khaled Mohamed, Sultan Al-Buraik, Ali Asad, Ahmed Moeen, Youssef Abdel Razzaq, Al-Moez Ali, and Ahmed Alaa.
However, Muhammad Muntari, who was initially part of the squad, will not be able to continue due to an injury he suffered in Austria. He is back in Doha, where he is being treated at the Aspetar Hospital.
On the other hand, the Serbian squad is headlined by proven players, including Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Tadic.
Qatar, who emerged the highest mover globally in the latest FIFA World Rankings, climbing 16 steps from the previous No. 58 to world No. 42, have only had one previous encounter against the 29th-ranked Serbians. Sebastian Soria bagging a hattrick at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha during an international friendly in 2016, which ended 3-0 in favor of Qatar.
Serbia failed to secure qualification for Euro 2020 and did not win any of their two friendlies in the last international window.
However, the meeting against the Euro 2016 champions Portugal will be the first for the Qatari side.
Speaking about the Qatari team's preparation, defender Hammam Al-Amin said, "We benefited from the Austria camp a lot, and we will meet with the strong Serbian team in a high spirit. We determined to leave a historical mark at the end of the meeting."
Abdul Karim Hassan described the Serbian national team as strong and impressive. "Our preparations have been strong, and our participation in the last Gold Cup, where we were one win away from the final, has boosted our morale. Playing against a European team is tough, but despite the strength of the Serbian national team, we will do our best to achieve our desired goal."
For Ahmed Moeen, who is making a return to the national team, the Serbia match is a very important turning point in Qatari football history.
"We have to be very diligent to achieve a positive result. The Qatar national team has enthusiasm and morale and does not fear the big teams but tries to fight them. We are strong, and we will always give our best," he said.
Qatar is playing their preparatory fixtures on European soil to facilitate shorter travel times for their group opponents. As the FIFA World Cup 2022 host nation, Qatar has already qualified for the tournament.
The Asian champions join Group A alongside UEFA Euro 2016 winners Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, and Azerbaijan.
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