CHANGZHOU: striker Meshaal Al Shammeri on Tuesday said Qatar will arrive

for their AFC U-23 Asian CUp quarter-finals against Palestine on Friday fully

prepared as Al Anabi expects a ‘tough fight’.

Qatar, coached by Felix Sanchez, beat China 2-1 in their last Group A match on

Monday to seal their quarter-finals berth after posting wins against Uzbekistan

and Oman earlier in the tournament.

“I would like to congratulate my team-mates for reaching the quarter-finals. I think

we have a real challenge in front of us as Palestine cannot be taken lightly. We will

face a strong team. They beat Thailand 5-1 in this tournament,” Al Shammari said

in an interview on Tuesday.

He added: “The next clash requires our total commitment and concentration since

it is the knockout stage of the event. From now on forward we will face stiffer

challenge . But having said that, I have great confidence in my team-mates. I hope we

continue our journey with a strong performance.”

Industrious midfielder Asim Madibo, who  also featured in Qatar’s senior Gulf Cup

squad last month, said on Tuesday: “I think we did extremely well in the group

phase as we remained unbeaten against quality sides. I believe the real challenge starts

now. Palestine are a strong side.”

He added: “Both teams will be playing to win. In order to dominate the match, we must

look to score goals early on. We must maintain our impressive form to reach the semis”.

The 16-team tournament ends on January 27.