Qatar take on Portugal with Ronaldo set to play

Qatar players attend a training session in Faro, Portugal, yesterday.

Asian champions Qatar will be looking for a positive result today (10:15pm Qatar time) when they face the 2016 Euro Champions Portugal at the Estadio Algarve. Qatar are playing the qualifiers as a guest team as part of their preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022, which they will host. Coached by Felix Sanchez, Qatar won their first two friendlies against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan before drawing with Republic of Ireland in their third fixture in the section. The World Cup 2022 hosts are winless in their last three, though, losing 4-0 to Serbia and 3-1 to Portugal at the start of September before drawing 1-1 with Luxembourg on September 7. A full-strength squad is available to coach Sanchez, who recalled Asian Cup hero keeper Shaad al-Sheeb, influential defender Abdulkarim Hassan and regular skipper Hassan al-Haydos. Strikers Akram Afif and Al Moez Ali will be key to a promising show from Sanchez, who is expected to go with a balanced formation. Bassam al-Rawi, Pedro Miguel and Abdulaziz Hatem are also expected to make the starting XI. “Our match with Portugal is difficult because we will meet one of the best teams in the world, regardless of who will be in the line-up of the match, and the goal is to benefit from these matches technically,” Sanchez said yesterday. Two months ago, Qatar reached the CONCACAF semi-finals, where they lost to the United States. Qatar, ranked 43 globally, has been appearing in the European leg of the 2022 WC qualification phase to gain match practice ahead of the 32-team event next year. After tackling Portugal, Qatar will take on Republic of Ireland on October 12 before facing Serbia and Azerbaijan next month, with their preparations, in terms of this section, coming to an end. Meanwhile, Portugal – coached by Fernando Santos – have welcomed back Manchester United trio Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot. This trio will be joined by Ruben Dias of Manchester City, Danilo Pereira of PSG and Diogo Jota of Liverpool. When Qatar and Portugal – ranked 7 in the world – played last month, Ronaldo missed the game. However, the superstar forward is set to play against Qatar, insisted coach Portugal head coach Fernando Santos yesterday. Santos said Ronaldo needs playing time after he was dropped by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Manchester United’s draw with Everton last weekend. Ronaldo surprisingly started on the bench at Old Trafford but came on in the second half as the game ended 1-1. The 36-year-old is now chasing the record of coming the most-capped player at international level. The United forward currently has 180 caps for Portugal and is closing in on Soh Chin Ann’s official total of 195 for Malaysia. But Santos has dismissed the suggestion that Ronaldo will be played against Qatar to help his pursuit of the record and insists the forward needs minutes after he was rested by Solskjaer. “Thinking about the game against Qatar is not about records, he will always beat that record. He’s not worried about it,” Santos said yesterday. “He will go to the game because he needs playing time. It’s important to him at this stage. The last full game he played was in the Champions League. If he only plays against Luxembourg, he will have practically 15 days without playing with intensity. At this point I will say that there are strong possibilities of Ronaldo going to the game against Qatar, either starting or coming on later during the second half, so that the competitive rhythms are at their maximum against Luxembourg,” he added. Portugal are currently top of Group A with 13 points from their five fixtures. Santos’s side recorded three straight wins during the September international break, beating Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan in their qualification section, in addition to recording a 3-1 win over Qatar in a friendly. Portugal have three more Group A fixtures against Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland and Serbia, and the Euro 2016 winners still have work to do if they are to secure their spot at next year’s World Cup. The Selecao have been present in each of the last five editions of the World Cup, but they have disappointed in recent years, being knocked out in the group stage in 2014 and only reaching the round of 16 in 2010 and 2018.Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball at a training session in Oeiras, Lisbon, yesterday. (AFP)