Confident Qatar ready to take on UAE in quarters

Long-serving coach Felix Sanchez Thursday urged the Qatar players to exhibit ‘positive intent’ on the pitch when they take on fierce arch-rivals the UAE in the second quarter-final of the FIFA Arab Cup Friday.Qatar, the current Asian champions, are on a three-match winning streak following their fighting victories over Bahrain, Oman and Iraq in the group stage of the 16-team tournament.In their last match against Iraq, experienced players Hassan al-Haydos, Akram Afif and Almoez Ali struck three late goals to help Qatar seal their quarter-finals berth in explosive fashion.  UAE, on the other hand, lost their last fixture against Tunisia following wins over Syria and Mauritania.Ranked 51 in the world, Qatar are set to play in front of a packed Al Bayt Stadium where 60,000 fans are expected to watch the match Friday.“Let’s hope we are able to perform better than we already have,” Sanchez said in his trademark soft tone during a pre-event press conference Thursday.“I hope we are at the best level. We have to bring our top level,” Sanchez added.“We are pleased to be in the quarter-finals after the group stage. We were able to qualify for the quarter-finals which was one of our objectives. We accomplished that and now we know our opponents. That’s how you live through a competition.“You try to be ready for every game. You try to compete and be at your best level. You try to have the opportunity to challenge (the rivals) and have the best chance to get qualification for the next round,” the Spaniard said.“Yes, I am satisfied with the team’s performance. We were in a difficult group. All teams were equally difficult. And to get three positive results, it means a lot. We are playing against teams that are from our region, our area. Those were difficult games. It terms of results, we are satisfied. We managed well (but) we can improve,” Sanchez said.The Qatar coach said a full-house Friday would set the tone for his players to give their best.“It is important that fans attend our matches. It means a lot to us that fans are supporting us. At the end of the day, we will have to do our work and fans will encourage us to achieve our objectives,’ Sanchez said.History is also on Qatar’s side as Al Annabi beat the UAE 4-0 when they played the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, an event Qatar went on to win almost three years ago. Sanchez, however, begged to differ.“You (reporter) are talking about the past. Past results don’t give you the guarantee that you will get the same result. If you want to get the (positive) result, you have to show on the field that you deserve that. This is a different game, a different event. We have to show intent on the field. We will try to play a game that is according to our philosophy and style. The past doesn’t mean anything to us,’ Sanchez explained.  “At this event, we would like to reach as far as possible. We have tired players but everyone wants to play. They want to help the team. The players will give their maximum. We are proud that we have reached the quarters. We know our rivals very well but you have to be calculative. You can’t make mistakes,” he warned.“I think there will be a lot of motivation (in the presence of fans). As for feeling pressure, the players are used to playing such matches like the one we are going to play tomorrow. The (fans) give us extra motivation and they push us to do well,” Sanchez said.Qatar player Homam Ahmed said Thursday: “The UAE side is a strong team. It has strong players and we respect them but we want to qualify to the semi-finals and we are ready. We have good levels of fitness and we hope the fans will be there for us as their presence will push us.”UAE’s Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said circumstances favour the home side in the knockout match to be played under lights.“I think we will be playing in front of a full stadium. It will be a good experience for my young players. We are playing against a favourite (team) of this event. They have had a long preparation. They are together for a long time. They have played against different styles. I think they are big favourites. Most of my players have not played a tournament like this before,” Marwijk said Thursday. “I hope my players find a solution. They will get a lot of resistance on the pitch. That’s why I say there will be a lot of fans and this will be a great experience for my young players,” he added.