Qatar to pose stiff test to Iran for group supremacy

Qatar’s eight appearance in the Asian Cup is different from their previous outings considering Djamel Belamdi’s team is the most in-form side ahead of next week’s Asian Cup kickoff but must contend with Iran considered favourites to win Group C.

While Qatar played 18 international matches in 2014, winning nine, drawing eight and losing just once.  Iran have only managed a single win since the World Cup, beating  South Korea 1-0 in an international friendly in November. Qatar defeated Asian Cup host, Australia during a friendly in October and then a month later, won the Gulf Cup with convincing victories over fellow Asian Cup representatives Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Belmadi’s team though youthful but has garnered experience over the past year with successes in West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) championship and Gulf Cup. The team’s strength is their attacking options which has Boualem Khoukhi as the star man to watch in the tournament. The Al Arabi striker pumped in six goals last January to win the WAFF title for Qatar and scored the winner in the Gulf Cup in November. Khalfan Ibrahim, Hassan Haydos and Meshaal Abdullah provide enough power going forward and the options vary from Abdqulqadir Illyas, Ismael Mohammed, Muhammed Muntari to overlapping left back Abdelkarim Hassan.

One thing is for sure, it will be interesting tournament for Qatar and if they have a good game in their opening match against UAE, then the against Iran in Sydney on January 15 could well decide top spot in Group C.  Winning the group could well prove decisive for Qatar or Iran as they face prospect of meeting defending champions Japan expected to dominate in Group D ahead of Jordan, Iraq and Palestine.

Iran is the 51^st ranked team in the world and the best in Asia, will be led by Portuguese boss Carlos Queiroz once again as Team Melli continue in their efforts to reclaim the mantel as Asian's leading football nation.

The Iranians are captained by  veteran midfielder Javad Nekounam, who plies his trade with Osasuna in the Spanish La Liga. Iran's team boasts a potent mix of youth and experience and have a strong European flavour. The 34-year-old Nekounam has been the backbone of Iran's national team for more than decade, playing in three previous Asian Cups, and is approaching 150 caps.

There are four members of the Iranian who play in Qatar Stars League and will some idea on Qatari players. They are alal Hosseini (Al Ahli), Masoud Shojaei (Al Shahniya), Ashkan Dejagah (Al Arabi) and Mehrdad Pooladi (Al Shahniya).

Iran’s World Cup campaign in Brazil was not too impressive as they did not make it out of their group, but Quieroz's team proved they could compete with the best with a breathtaking performance against Argentina. After playing out a goalless draw with Nigeria in their group opener, Argentina captain Lionel Messi struck a 91st-minute injury-time winner to break the hearts of Iran, who went on to lose 3-1 to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the final match.

Iran, thee three-time Asian Cup champions will contend with United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the group’s other matches. Both teams are tricky and would provide good test in the group for both Qatar and Iran.

Bahrain won their group ahead of Qatar with a slim victory over Al Anabi and forcing a draw in Doha.

 UAE ranked 85^th in the world will take inspiration from their third place finish in the Gulf Cup. Before then, they had played out four straight draws in friendly matches, notably a 0-0 with Australia. They will rely on the services of Ahmed Khalil who was in good form in the Gulf Cup.