Qatar players during a training session at Aspire Zone yesterday.
Doha: Asian champions Qatar started the FIFA World Cup year on a positive note when they edged Bulgaria in a gripping clash earlier this week. Head coach Felix Sanchez wants the momentum to continue as Al Annabi prepare for their debut appearance at the football showpiece event.
The World Cup hosts will face Slovenia in their second friendly in four days at the Education City Stadium today, with Sanchez hoping for a good learning experience against the Matjaz Kek’s side.
Striker Akram Afif and Boualem Khoukhi, who captained the team for the first time in Hassan Al Haydos’ absence, scored goals for Qatar in 2-1 victory over Bulgaria on Saturday.
Slovenia are expected to give Qatar another stern test, with Sanchez telling his players to bring improvement.
“We play all our friendly matches seriously, and we try to improve our performance and develop it in a way that suits our capabilities,” he told a press conference ahead of today’s match, which will kick off at 8:30pm.
“I am happy with the victory against Bulgaria in the last game and I hope that the positive results will continue,” he added.
The Spaniard, however, said Slovenia were impressive against Croatia and his team will have to work hard in the match.
“It will be a different match, the opponents are strong. They presented a very good level in draw against Croatia. We must be strong and continue to show the personality that we showed against the Bulgaria,” said Sanchez.
In absence of experienced Al Haydos and Abdulaziz Hatem, Sanchez is testing his bench strength by giving opportunities to youngsters, and Abdelrahman Mohammed is among them.
“I am happy to be part of the national team, which is an honour for any player. I hope to be a strong addition to the group,” said Abdelrahman.
“Slovenia’s match is important and our goal as usual is to win and achieve a positive result,” he added.
Slovenia, who failed to qualify for the World Cup after finishing fourth in their qualifying group, are also playing their second game in Qatar after they held 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Praising Sanchez’s coaching skills, Kek said his team was expecting a tough challenge from the home side.
“Qatari is good and an organised team, and the match will not be easy. Those who watched them against Bulgaria will clearly see the imprint of the coach’s work,” the Slovenia coach said ahead of the match.
“The match is difficult because they are playing at home, and they have been preparing for the World Cup for a long time and have had experiences on big occasions,” he added.
In the last couple of years, Qatar have played in the Copa America, Gold Cup and European Zone Qualifiers to prepare for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia and Bulgaria will also square off at the same venue today, with the match kicking off at 5pm.
