Our World Cup 2022 preview kicks off with Qatar’s National Team, the hosts will be making their debut in the international tournament and have their sights in making a good first impression. The ‘Maroons’ did not have to play in the Asian Qualifiers since the host nation qualifies automatically to the World Cup, nevertheless they’ve seen plenty of action in the last couple years as they prepare for the competition.
Tough Group For The Home Team
Qatar will be playing in Group A, which also features Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands. The opening ceremony and inaugural match will be held on Sunday, November 20th, between the host and Ecuador. This will be a key fixture for the home team, and securing a win against the South American team will play a big part in their qualifying chances since group A features a powerhouse team (Netherlands). The ‘Maroons’ will have full support from the crowd and they have to make a big push to secure the first points of the competition.
Spanish Manager At The Helm
The ‘Marrons’ are coached by Spanish manager Felix Sanchez Bas, a former FC Barcelona youth coach, who moved to Qatar in 2006 where he continued his youth coaching career. In 2013 he joined the QFA as the U19 coach, and in 2017 he took on the U23 and the senior squad job. Sanchez has achieved impressive results including the U19 AFC 2014 Championship, and winning the AFC Asian Cup in 2019.
Key Players With Plenty Of Experience
Qatar has players with a lot of experience and team captain Hassan Al-Haydos is the leader of the squad. Al-Haydos plays for hometown and successful club Al-Saad SC, the captain has 165 appearances and 34 goals playing for the senior national team, and was part of the squad that won the AFC Asian Cup in 2019.
Another player to keep an eye on is left-back Abdelkarim Hassan, a versatile and very experienced member of the ‘Maroons’ who plays for Al-Sadd SC as well. Hassan won the Asian Footballer of the Year award in 2018, and has 124 appearances and 15 goals under his belt for the national team.
Predictions And Means For Survival
As we mentioned earlier, the key to making it out of the group alive is going to be the inaugural match against Ecuador, the ‘Maroons’ need to take advantage of local support and try to get the win at all costs. A victory in their debut could mean they could secure a place in the last sixteen with a draw in match-day 2 against Senegal. If Qatar goes on to lose their opening match it is going to be incredibly difficult for the home team moving forward, since they’ll have to scrap points against a very good Netherlands team.
We are counting on the ‘Maroons’ to achieve the complex task of qualifying on group A with support of the home crowd, but the dream will probably stop there, as there is no feasible possibility of making the last eight.
