SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA: Qatar coach Fahad Thani is confident that his
team will qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup by topping Group D.
With the top two teams advancing to Australia, the Qataris know that a
draw with Malaysia at the Shah Alam Stadium on Tuesday will be enough
to send them through to the finals for the ninth time in 10 attempts.
"I believe my players have quality and they will be able to deal with
any unexpected situations that may occur," coach Fahad said.
"We have come here with high confidence, not only to beat Malaysia but
also to top our group,” said Fahad who led Qatar to a 2-0 win over
Malaysia in their group opener in February.
"We know that Malaysia have a good style of play and I do not expect
them to play as cautiously as they did against Bahrain last week
because they also want to progress.
“But we have travelled to Malaysia to give our best performance and we
have no problems with injuries,” he added.
A narrow 1-0 defeat in Bahrain last Friday saw Malaysia drop five
points behind Qatar with only two games left.
K.Rajagobal’s side must now win Tuesday’s game as well as their final
group match against Yemen to keep alive their hopes of reaching the
finals.
"We intend to go into the game with a bold attitude,” said the Malaysia coach.
“The qualification competition has not yet ended and we still have two
games left to complete our mission. In football, nothing is impossible
so it is important for us to keep our focus and to do our best.”
Qatar beat Yemen three days ago with a 4-1 score in Al Ain, UAE.
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