Familiar foes meet in must-win World Cup qualifier in Doha [VIDEO]
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Persianfootball.com – DOHA, When fourth placed Qatar will host third placed Iran on Tuesday, both sides must be eager for three points when they still aim for a direct qualification spot for Brazil 2014.
The two sides are deadlocked with seven points, but Iran have a game in hand, heaping the pressure even more on the hosts, who already announced they will not be content with a tie versus their Persian Gulf neighbours.
Team Melli could consolidate the third place with a draw, but the pressure from 70 million expecting direct qualification and retaliation for the earlier setbacks in the final round of Asian World Cup qualifiers will barely allow the players and coaching staff to return peacefully with less then three points in the baggage.
Knowing of each other’s pressure to win, the game could yet as often be a dull affair with either side waiting for the other team to finall open up first and take advantage of the given space.
Familiar foes
The two teams can barely be able to surprise each other though with both having met already three times within this campaign, all three matches having ended in draws.
Elements of surprise could only come from Qatar’s latest of countless coaching changes, which this time stands out as the rich and tiny Persian Gulf nation for once appointed a local coach – Fahad Thani.
Thani’s biggest challenge will be compensating the absence of their arguably best player, Uruguayan striker Sebastian Soria Quintana – only one of numerous naturalized players from South America, Africa and Asia.
The foreigners are one of the main reasons why Qatar will be a hard nut to crack, despite the Iranian fans wish it would be otherwise.
Quality-wise Iran should undoubtedly have an edge, despite the absence of the injured key players Ashkan Dejagah and Mehrdad Pouladi of Persepolis.
While the Persepolis left-back will be either replaced by the unpredictable Ehsan Hajsafi or solid average Esteghlal man Hashem Beikzadeh, in-form winger Mohammad-Reza Khalatbari is the most likely candidate to replace the Fulham winger. But also Gholamreza Rezaei and Mehrdad Oladi could find themselves in the starting lineup.
The biggest absence will be coach Carlos Queiroz though, who has been struck with a harsh two-game suspension after complaining inappropriately against repeated elbowing of South Korea’s players in Iran’s 1-0 victory in Tehran last autumn.
Following the poor result without his presence on the bench against Uzbekistan, Queiroz now reacted and added Olympic coach Alireza Mansourian and veteran Portuguese coach Nelo Vingada to his coaching staff.
Whereas Iran will return to Tehran immediately after the game where they will host Lebanon exactly a week later, Qatar will have two weeks time to prepare their final qualifier in Uzbekistan.
Qatar – Iran
AFC World Cup qualifier round 4
Al Sadd Stadium, Doha, Qatar
19:15 local time
Iran’s possible lineup: Ahmadi – Heydari, Montazeri, Hosseini, Hajsafi – Teymourian, Nekounam, Jabbari – Shojaei, Ghoochannejhad, Khalatbari
Team Melli Arrives in Doha, a video from PFDC TV.
