DOHA: Qatar’s U-23 Olympic squad has kicked off its extensive training camp at Aspire Academy The 10-day training camp will end on October 20, Qatar Football Association (QFA) said. Qatar, coached by Chilean Nicolas Cordova, are preparing for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers from Oct 21-31 in Doha. Qatar, Syria, Yemen and Sri Lanka are Group A. There are 24 players are participating in the training minus Mohamed Waad, Youssef AbdulRisaq, Salah Zakaria and Homam Al Amin, who are in Dublin with the Qatar national squad. Qatar will play against Kuwait in two friendly matches on Oct 15 and 18. A total of 42 teams will participate in the qualifiers aiming for 15 slots in the finals in Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Qatar player Muhammad Ayyash has praised the atmosphere of the squad. “The training is going excellently, and every player is in good spirits. We are all fully prepared for the first match. We can’t wait for the first kick-off. I am certain we live up to the expectations,” Ayyash said. “We respect our group teams as they will also attempt to compete and qualify to the finals. This is a legitimate ambition for all teams. From our side, we look forward to qualifying for the Asian Cup finals to be held in Uzbekistan,” he said. Regarding the two friendly matches against Kuwaiti, Ayyash said: “Two big challenges await us. It will be important for the technical staff and us that we deliver a good show. and signal readiness before the qualification begins”.| Ali Malallah, the influential midfielder, said: “I am confident about our aptness. We are waiting for the start of the Asian qualifiers, which is an important tournament for us during which we need to be at our best against teams like Sri Lanka, Yemen and Syria. There is no doubt that each team has its own advantages, but we will strive to do our best to achieve our goals.” He added: “We have a great incentive to get the desired results and live up to the best of everyone’s expectations. We want to follow the path of success achieved by the national team at the continental level. Therefore, we look forward to representing the country in the best way.”