Qatar ready for Lebanon challenge in Asian Cup opener

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Tuesday, January 8th 2019 10:13 PM

Al Ain: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez is confident his young squad can match the best in the continent as they kick off their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 campaign against Lebanon in Group E in Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.   Sanchez’s squad is one of the most youthful among the 24 nations represented at the tournament, with seven of the players who have travelled to the United Arab Emirates having graduated from the side that won the 2014 AFC U19 Championship in Myanmar.   And with the country continuing to build towards their hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Sanchez believes the AFC Asian Cup will be the perfect proving ground for his players.   “There is a group of players that played in (AFC U-19 Championship) some years ago and had a good achievement,” said the Spaniard, who coached the U-19 team and also worked with the country’s U-23 squad before taking over the helm of the senior side.   “Now they’re in the first team and it’s a group of - in my point of view - very talented players with the qualities to compete and play in Asia, and of course we want to be here to try to compete against everyone.   “But we’re going to focus and we can’t look further than the game against Lebanon because this competition is a few games and you need to be OK in all of them.” Qatar have twice reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup – in 2000 and on home soil in 2011 – but Sanchez refused to be drawn on his side’s expectations at this year’s tournament as he declared his squad fully fit for the Finals.   “Everyone is fine and ready to play,” he said. “We know Lebanon. We saw them playing, we know their strengths and we know it will be a hard game and we’re only focused on that.   “We're going to try to show that we’re able to compete against all the Asian teams we’re going to face in the competition, to compete and compete well and get results.   “How far we will reach is difficult to say, but I’m quite sure that this group of players are able to compete against all teams in Asia and it is time to show they have the quality and ability to do well.”