The national football team will face off against its Qatari counterpart, at eight o’clock this evening, at Al Nahyan Stadium at Al Wahda Club in Abu Dhabi, within the sixth round of the first group of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, as the match is considered a crossroads for the two teams. There is a connection between them, as the winner will strongly revive his hopes in competing for a qualification ticket to the World Cup, and will come close to the top Iranian teams with (13 points) and the runner-up, Uzbekistan, with (10 points).
“Al-Abyad” hopes to repeat the scenario of its victory over “Al-Anabi” in the first leg in Doha, achieving the third victory in these qualifiers and reaching the tenth point, and enters the confrontation in high morale, after defeating the Kyrgyz national team in the last round, raising its score to seven points in third place with a difference. Goals for the Qatari team, which is on par with them.
The team is looking forward to exploiting the factors of the ground and the crowd by outperforming the Qatari team, which is full of stars, and the match is considered one of the most important confrontations for “Al-Abyad”, which seeks to score points in the match and keep its chances of qualifying for the World Cup intact.
The Portuguese coach, Paulo Bento, is aware of the importance of reducing the danger of the playing keys in the Qatari team, especially the duo Akram Afif and Almoez Ali, and he is expected to play with the same squad that played the last match against Kyrgyzstan, with the possibility of making some minor changes depending on the players’ physical and technical readiness.
Historically, it is the fifth match between the two teams in the World Cup qualifiers, as they met four times, the national team won two matches, the Qatari team once, and they tied one match.
The Qatari team won two matches during the current qualifiers, over Kyrgyzstan (3-1) and Uzbekistan (3-2), while it lost to our team by three goals to one, and to Iran (1-4), and tied with North Korea (2-2). ).
According to the tournament system, the current “third” stage of the Asian qualifiers includes three groups, with six teams in each group, and the two teams that finish first and second qualify directly to the World Cup finals, while the third and fourth places finish the competition for two additional seats, in addition to the opportunity to… Competition for an additional seat during the playoff.
Pinto: We have to deal in the right offensive manner
Portuguese Paulo Pinto. From the source
The Portuguese national team coach, Paulo Bento, said that he is not currently thinking about qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and his focus is only on today’s confrontation against the Qatari team.
He stressed, in a press conference yesterday, that “the only way to obtain a qualification ticket is to win the matches and collect the largest number of points,” stressing that “this match will not be similar to the first leg.”
He concluded: “There are many things that we must do to win the match, including focus and good preparation of the players, the desire to win, avoiding mistakes, respecting the opponent and dealing with him in the correct offensive manner.”
Lopez: I’m afraid of the mental state of the players
Spaniard Marquez Lopez. From the source
The coach of the Qatari national team, the Spanish Marquez Lopez, confirmed that he will face “a strong team like the UAE national team that has good players and a good coach.”
He said in a press conference yesterday: “The Qatari team received a great morale boost by defeating the Uzbekistan team in the last round, and that will help us (today),” noting that “this match will be different from the first leg in which the Emirati team won (3-1). He added: “The Qatari national team players are ready for the match, and there is no fatigue among their ranks,” adding: “I fear the mental state of the players in this match more than the fatigue,” noting that the absence of player Abdullah Al-Yazidi due to injury will have an impact on the national team’s ranks. But there is an alternative ready to participate in the match.
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