“We respect Qatar’s Football Team”: Carlos Queiroz

Tasnim – TEHRAN, Iranian national football team’s head coach Carlos Queiroz says that they respect Qatari football team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.

Iran will host Qatar in Group A in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Thursday.

“We know Qatar has prepared well for the competition. They take advantage of several good plyers and technical staff. We respect them. Qatar has also won the right to host World Cup 2022 as an Asian team and we have to praise them,” Queiroz said.

“My men are committed to their country as they’ve proved in the past. I hope we can provide awesome moments for all our fans and to make them happy at the end of the match,” the Portuguese coach added.

“Qatar match is part of our journey and we have a long way ahead of us. South Korea, Uzbekistan, China, and Syria are rivals in the competition as well,” Queiroz said.

Qatar football captain Hassan Al Haidos says that it is always very tough against Iran and even more so away from home, in front of their fans.

Speaking to FIFA.com, Al Haidos acknowledged the difficulty of their opening Group A fixture against Iran in the FIFA World Cup qualification at the imposing Azadi Stadium – but spoke confidently of Qatar’s chances.

“It’s always important to begin well,” the Al Sadd man said

“I don’t think we could have had a more difficult home game. It’s always very tough against Iran and even more so away from home, in front of their fans, but I think we’re ready to face the challenge this time,” Al Haidos added.

But Al Haidos’ optimism goes beyond the Iran match. The 26-year-old believes Qatar has the quality to secure a long-awaited first ever FIFA World Cup berth, even before it qualifies automatically as host in 2022.

“This time I’m very optimistic,” he said.

“We’re more determined than ever to realize the dream we’ve been pursuing for a very long time,” Hassan Al Haidos added.