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AFC Asian Qualifiers
Iran eying victory over Qatar to lead Group A
Iran lead the standings together with Uzbekistan while a win for Qatar will see the two-time AFC Asian Cup™ champions drawing level with Tuesday’s opponents, the AFC wrote.
Iran had to be satisfied with a draw against Uzbekistan on Thursday and will know that they can’t afford to drop points against Qatar.
Particularly concerning for head coach Amir Ghalenoei will be the fact that goals have been hard to come by, with Iran only having found the back of the net twice in three matches.
Thursday’s 3-1 win against Kyrgyz Republic was Qatar’s first triumph of their campaign and head coach Marquez Lopez will be hoping the victory was the booster his side needed in their bid to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals on merit for the first time.
The West Asian side will go into the tie with the psychological advantage of having defeated Iran 3-2 in thrilling AFC Asian Cup semi-final in February.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will have a great opportunity to boost their hopes of an inaugural appearance at the FIFA World Cup when they host the United Arab Emirates in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Central Asian side lead the standings ahead of Islamic Republic of Iran on goal difference and victory against UAE will see them opening a six-point gap against Tuesday’s opponents.
Having dropped two points at home against Iran on Thursday means Uzbekistan have to win against UAE if they are to stay ahead in the race for the two automatic spots to the FIFA World Cup.
Vlado Radmanovic, standing in for indisposed head coach Srecko Katanec, felt his players had done well against Iran but will emphasise on the need for Uzbekistan to get back on the winning trail against the UAE.
Head coach Paulo Bento did not hold back after his side’s 1-1 draw with DPR Korea on Thursday, with the Portuguese admitting UAE did not deserve to win against the East Asians.
Bento, who previously guided Portugal and Korea Republic to the global showpiece, will expect a reaction from his players despite Uzbekistan having the advantage of playing at home.
Also on Tuesday, it will be a meeting between two teams desperately in need of a win when Kyrgyz Republic welcome DPR Korea to the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium for their AFC Asian Qualifiers.
Debutants Kyrgyz Republic have yet to register points on the board while DPR Korea only have two from their previous three matches.
Thursday’s 3-1 defeat to Qatar was the biggest margin of defeat Kyrgyz Republic have suffered in their campaign so far as the Central Asian side have generally been competitive against their higher ranked opponents.
However, victory is needed if they are to keep their hopes alive - with the top two teams to earn automatic spots in the global showpiece while the third and fourth-placed sides to advance to a playoff.
DPR Korea are in a slightly better position as their two points mean they are just two adrift of United Arab Emirates and Qatar, while pacesetters Uzbekistan and Islamic Republic of Iran are on seven.
Sin Young Nam felt his team can do better after their 1-1 with UAE on Matchday Three and the DPR Korea head coach will be expecting his side to take all three points in Bishkek.