www.thepeninsulaqatar.com PAGE | 23 PAGE | 25 World wants to know Ashwin’s six-for if Tiger is ready to gives India roar in return massive lead TUESDAY 11 OCTOBER 2016 • 10 MOHARRAM 1438 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 ASIAN QUALIFIERS Qatar Vs Syria Confident Fossati eyes win as Venue: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha Kick off at 7.00pm. Uzbekistan Vs China Venue: Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent Iran Vs South Korea Qatar prepare for Syria test Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran Coach insists his Coach Cano team is one win names U-19 away from regaining lost touch and Asian Cup squad plans to deploy a balanced plan of The Peninsula attack against tough opponents DOHA: the Qatar Football Association (QFA) confirmed that coach Oscar Cano on Sunday named a 23-mem- ber national squad for this By Rizwan Rehmat month’s AFC U-19 Asian Cup. The Peninsula Qatar, the defending champions, are ready for the October 13-30 tournament to be held in Manama, Bahrain, DOHA: Coach Jorge Fossati is a QFA official said. confident of a Qatar turnaround Qatar will leave for Bah- in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qual- rain on Monday morning and ifying road to Russia, insisting will resume training for their his team is one win away from Group C matches the same regaining lost touch. day. The teams in Group C are Under-pressure Qatar host Japan, Yemen and Iran besides Qatar coach Jorge Fossati (right) and forward Magid Mohammed listen to a question asked by a journalist during a press briefing held yesterday, Syria in their fourth Asian Zone Qatar. Picture by Abdul Basit/ The Peninsula qualifying match in the last six ahead of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Syria which will be played at Al Sadd Stadium in Doha today. Cano’s boys face Iran on weeks. Today’s clash takes place October 14, Yemen on Octo- at Al Sadd Stadium where the worried or afraid. This is some- ber 17 and Japan on October game kicks-off at 7.00pm. thing that happens at the Syrian coach hopes to ‘deal’ 20 in the preliminary stages Fossati, who was brought in subconscious level. It comes to of the tournament. as coach just a little over a cou- your head. It is difficult to push Qatar won the 2014 edi- ple of weeks ago, saw Qatar lose those thoughts away. tion in Myanmar by beating a feisty contest 3-2 against Korea “If we analyse the last game with strong Qatari attack North Korea in the final. The on Thursday. from my point of view, the 15 mins champions in 2014 later qual- “We have the quality. We have of second half was bad phase of ified to play the 2015 FIFA Agencies the players to do it. I repeat it will Qatar. But the other 75 minutes Syrian coach Ayman U-20 World Cup held in New be a tough match but I am opti- - considering we were playing a Al Hakeem speaks Zealand. mistic about our performance and strong Korea side - that was the Fahad Al Shammari is the during a press that we can take victory,” Fossati best phase of Qatar football under Director of the team. briefing held at said during a pre-match press my coaching,” Fossati said. DOHA: Syrian coach Ayman Al conference yesterday. “It is essential that we get Hakeem said it was a “historic Al Sadd Stadium “We cannot change the past points. We need to be strong men- achievement” for his team to have yesterday. Picture by Abdul Basit/ but we can change the future,” tally. Our only focus should be to gotten so far in the tournament con- The Peninsula QATAR SQUAD FOR the former Al Rayyan coach said. take a victory,” the Qatar Coach sidering the civil war back at home. Fossati said Syria team is added. He was addressing the media AFC U-19 ASIAN CUP known for hard tackles on the Fossati said his team would ahead of the crunch Asian qualifier Sayed Hassan Issa, Nasser Al-Saadi, pitch. deploy a balanced plan of attack for the Russia 2018 against Qatar. Mohammed Said Ibrahim, Abdul Rah- “Tomorrow we have a tough and defense. Syria’s three games have only man Mohammed Mustafa, Mashaal, Ib- opponent. Their (recent) results “I will try to have a side that produced two goals and Hakeem rahim Faraj, Badr Al-Hamad, Khaled speak themselves. They are very has balance in defense and attack. predicted another tight affair today. Mazeed, Munir Ahmad, Bakri Moham- strong in physical football. But of It is clear that football have two “We consider Qatar as very, very med, Walid Hassan Bakhit, Hussein Ali course we will try to do our part. posts. You need to defend one post strong. They have had great perform- Behzad, Saad Khalifa Khamis, Khaled We will play with our ideas and and attack the other. Most of the ances even if the results do not reflect Mubarak Al-Nuaimi, Tarek Salman, strengths,” he said. time teams who defend and attack that,” he said. games and last week won 1-0 in in the qualifying matches. We have “If you heard me in the first well usually take victory,” he said. “We know they are going to China. A win today could push them 4 points.” Suleiman Abdul, Rashid Ibrahim, Mo- press conference, I promised “It (qualifying) seems impos- attack, they are going to be on the into the automatic qualification spots. “We want 3 more points. God hammed Ahmed, Hassan Ahmed, Bas- tough work. I didn’t promise sible but I believe we have seven offensive, we need to deal with this.” Commenting on their prep- Willing we will get a positive result. sam Naeem, Hisham Al-Rawi, Abdullah results,” Fossati said when asked games. The situation can change, Syria, shorn of stars who cur- arations against the home team, Under the circumstances, we will be Abdul Salam, Ahmed Bakhit, Alohrq about expectations from home if we continue to look for points,” rently refuse to represent the national goalkeeper Ibrahim Alma said that up to the challenge.” Menhali, Nasser Abdel-Salam Alohrq, fans in Qatar who have gone three Fossati said. team and playing their “home” they will be up to the challenge. “The strength of our defense is the Awad Ahmed Al Muwaffaq and Moham- qualifying games without a win. “Don’t misunderstand the sit- matches in Malaysia, have made a “Regarding the preparation, we result of our dedication on the pitch. med Uday. “I understand the excitement uation. Tomorrow is not the end. solid start. have been training very well. We are We have faced strong teams. We are Coah: Oscar Cano and nervousness of people about After tomorrow we will have They have four points from three realizing our dreams of doing well no afraid of our opponents,” he said. the result. But I am very very sure points,” he said. that we need to focus only on the “You (media) know me a long game,” Fossati said. time. From my point of view, “We cannot play the game match tactics involve distribu- thinking negatively. The ones tion of players in the game. If we Japan to bring courage against Asia’s best: Halilhodzic who know me they know this is start differently tomorrow, don’t the most important game. If we be surprised,” the Uruguayan continue to look back, then we coach said. Reuters criticism from a disgruntled home for excuses,” the French-speaking Japan have not lost to Australia in will play with extra pressure. Qatari forward Magid media. Having already lost forward coach told reporters through a trans- seven years but have been unable to Fossati said Qatar took the Mohammed admitted that the Yoshinori Muto and attacking mid- lator. We’ll go with courage. I will not beat them in their last four World Cup positives from their 3-2 loss game will not be an easy affair. fielder Takashi Usami to injuries before be telling you we lack this, we lack that. qualifiers, including a 2-1 loss in their against Korea four days ago. “I can’t add to what the coach MELBOURNE: Japan coach Vahid the Iraq game, Halilhodzic may be We are in a difficult situation but men- last Melbourne showdown in 2009. “We got many positives. I has said. Our situation is difficult. Halilhodzic has shrugged off injury without Shinji Okazaki in Melbourne, tally maybe we will be better. We play Halilhodzic did not hesitate to can keep 90 positives from the It will be a tough game. They have concerns ahead today’s 2018 World with the Leicester City striker missing against the Asian champions, the best declare Australia favourites for the Korea game. The other 10 things good players. We have the home Cup qualifier against Australia and training on Sunday after hurting his team in Asia and we are very moti- match and warned his players to brace are negative. One of the impor- advantage. Hopefully we will defended his team’s slow start to the ankle in the Saitama match. vated. Each player is thinking to win for huge pressure from highly physi- tant things I spoke to the players have a strong performance,” he final phase for Russia. Halilhodzic declined to comment this game.” cal opponents. was that they started the second said. Japan opened their campaign with on Okazaki’s fitness but said his team Since Australia joined the Asian He also said his team deserved half thinking too much to keep the “The pressure is there but a surprise home loss to United Arab was in reasonable shape to take on Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006, more credit for their backs-to-the- partial result,” Fossati said.