Doha: Asian champions Qatar will be looking to put up an impressive show when they welcome in-form European giants Portugal in their fifth UEFA qualifier at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, today.
The Portuguese team will be without their biggest asset, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, but Qatar coach Felix Sanchez yesterday predicted that the match against the eighth-ranked team in the world will be a difficult one.
Al Annabi suffered a 4-0 defeat in the hands of Serbia in their previous qualifier three days ago, while Portugal were rescued from Ireland by Ronaldo who scored the 110th and 111th goals in his international career.
Ronaldo who became the highest-scorer in the history of men’s international football with his first goal in that match, was released from the national squad after picking up a one-game suspension following their 2-1 win on Wednesday.
Sanchez ranked Portugal as one of the best teams in the world, but said that he sees the match as an opportunity to build Al Annabi's image following the big loss.
"Certainly, a very difficult confrontation awaits us, against one of the strongest teams in the world. But it is a great incentive for our players, who are trying to improve the image and compensate for the big loss against Serbia. So I see that our motivation is very great," Sanchez told media during a press conference held at the Nagyerdei Stadion yesterday.
"Over the past two days, we have tried to correct the mistakes we made against Serbia, in order to avoid them in tomorrow's match, and I have great confidence that the players will appear differently, and will give their best against Portugal," Sanchez said.
"The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo will not affect the Portuguese team, which has an arsenal of the best players in the world," the Spaniard said.
Prior to Wednesday's loss, Qatar have been enjoying a brilliant record at the European qualifiers, having won their first two matches before drawing against Ireland.
They then travelled to the United States as an invitee to the Concacaf Gold Cup which saw them shine against Grenada, Honduras and El Salvador before losing to the hosts United States in the semi-finals.
The recent success of the Asian giants has made Portugal coach Fernando Santos cautious.
Santos yesterday indicated that he is not taking Qatar's strength lightly despite their setback against Serbia.
"Qatar is a well- balanced team, they know what they want and they always play the same. With Serbia they showed some aspects they never did. They are very organised and know how to counter-attack. Something they did with Serbia, but they weren't as good as in other games in defensive terms. It will not be easy to play against Qatar. It is a selection with quality," Santos said yesterday.
Santos said that he is expecting an increase in the dynamics, in the circulation of the ball, which has to be faster when they face Qatar.
"We have to look for improvement. Individual action is important to dismantle the opponent, but we have to be more collective. Previously we conceded few goals, but in the last four games we have conceded eight goals and that is abnormal. A team that scores less and suffers more is unlikely to have good results. We have to return to who we are, maintaining our quality and playing as a team. We have to be a well-organised team at all times in the team,” Santos said,
Santos also noted that two of his star players, Pepe and Palhinha will be absent for today's match, but will be ready to face Azerbaijan next Tuesday.
Today's match kicks off at 7:45pm.
