HOUSTON, Texas: Abdelaziz Hatim, Qatar's experienced midfielder, said his team is expecting a tough clash against El Salvador in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup on Saturday. The two teams face off on Saturday in the last eight of the event. "We will face a solid team that plays smartly, and our task will not be as easy compared to matches we played in the group stage," Hatim said on Thursday. "We were able to beat the same opponent in a friendly match before the tournament when we were in Croatia for a training camp, but we will not be misled into thinking that Saturday's game will be the same as the friendly was. It's a new day with different circumstances," he added. Hatim's last-minute goal against Honduras sealed a 2-0 victory on day 3 of the group stage and secured Qatar's automatic qualification to the quarterfinals as Group D winners. "We were able to qualify for the quarterfinals through solid performance in the group stage. We expect to get better as the tournament goes on; the Honduras match was certainly a morale booster for our squad," he added. "That win gives us more confidence going on to the next rounds, and God Willing, we will achieve this during our match against El Salvador in the quarterfinals." Asim Madibo, who came on as a second-half substitute against Honduras, said on Thursday as well. "It is a nice feeling to be with the national team to participate in this great tournament. It is a new challenge for us, and we are exploring new tactics and strategies for the first time," he added. Qatar drew with Panama before comfortably beating Honduras and Grenada to reach the quarterfinals.