Qatar has plenty of confidence after confirming its advance to the round of 16. On the other hand, China, which has uncertainty over its advance to the tournament due to its two draws, does not seem to have high expectations for its advance to the round of 16.
Qatar, the host and defending champion of the 2023 AFC Qatar Asian Cup, will meet with China. Qatar defeated Lebanon 3-0 in the first Group A match, and Tajikistan 1-0 in the second round, becoming the first team to advance to the round of 16 teams in the tournament. Currently, Qatar has two wins and four scoreless goals.
China is ranking second in the group, but it is unclear whether it will advance to the round of 16. Tajikistan, ranking third in the group, and Lebanon, ranking fourth, gained one point with one draw and one loss, just one point behind China, which recorded two draws. The ranking of each team and whether they will advance to the round of 16 will be determined in the final group match.
Qatar is full of confidence. In an official press conference held one day before the match, Qatar confidently predicted its rotation. “I will try to rotate to a certain level. However, I will do my best to earn three points without ignoring the opponent,” said Tintin Marquez, the coach of Qatar. As avoiding injury is also important, he said he would find the best combination possible in the available options.
China feels uneasy. “The Chinese men’s soccer team will face off against Qatar, the strongest opponent in the group. The simplest but most difficult way is to beat Qatar and not care about the outcome of other matches. However, no one will believe that they can make it with the power of the Chinese team alone,” Soohoo Sports said, expressing a negative outlook on its advance to the round of 16 strongest teams.
He does not take a pessimistic view of the situation. However, he ended up in a difficult situation because he missed the game he could have caught.
The media said, “Qatar’s strength has been going downhill since the World Cup due to the injuries and retirement of its main players,” but added, “It proved that the team’s strength was not as low as expected by defeating Lebanon 3-0 in the first game. In the second game, he beat Tajikistan 1-0 and confirmed the top spot in the group early on with two consecutive wins, even though he replaced nearly half of the starting lineup.”
China seems to be paying attention to whether Akram Afif and Almoez Ali will take a break. If the two aces are absent, the Chinese defense will have less load and pressure. Therefore, some say that the rotation of the opponent team should be used as a springboard for victory.
BY: 스포츠토토핫