(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Eyeing to take maximum advantage of a friendly game, Qatar coach Jorge Fossati is aiming to give his main bunch of players at least an hour of running time in today's international against Moldova.
Qatar, who played a goalless draw against China exactly two months ago, host the European side at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium under lights with the kickoff set for 7pm.
Fossati's players have assembled for a three-day training camp as they attempt to regroup ahead of two key 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches at the end of March.
"The players are coming from the Qatar Stars League (QSL) matches so they have been busy for their clubs. I will try to grant the opportunity to 13 players to play (at least) 60 minutes," Fossati said in an informal chat prior to a training session.
"I'm not trying to overwork the players because they are playing QSL games. The players will go back to their clubs once this game is finished," he said.
"The last time we played was in November. We can't wait until March for another international game so we have gathered now," he said.
Fossati admitted the friendly today would also give him the opportunity to try out new players who are part of the 23-member squad.
"It is a good opportunity for players who did not play the last time we assembled for a training camp," Fossati, 68, said.
Fossati said Qatar would be aiming to win but he would ring changes 'keeping in mind the fatigue factor' for the players.
"We had a similar approach when we last played against Serbia. We don't want players suffering from fatigue," he said.
When asked about new players, Fossati said: "There are players who I know from before such as Abdul Hamid and Abdulrahman Al-Harazi. They have performed well from the beginning. With Hassan Al Haydos away due to injury we could try new players."
Al Sadd striker Al Haydos is out of action for about four weeks after he underwent a surgery in Germany in December. Al Haydos, a key component in coach Fossati's side, will miss today's friendly.
Fossati said Qatar's top striker Khalfan Ibrahim is part of his plans but the diminutive forward 'is not match ready'.
The Qatar coach said the national team would regroup after round 23 of QSL on March 5 informing that the QFA was planning a friendly on March 8 or 9. He added the national team players would be released to feature for their clubs ahead of AFC Champions League fixtures but they would return for a another training camp around March 18 or 19.
Fossati, who took over from Daniel Carreno at the end of September last year, said he remained confident of a turnaround in Qatar's fortunes ahead of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Iran (March 23) and Uzbekistan (March 28).
"The situation is difficult but I accepted the job with confidence that we have the ability to compete. We had lost three matches (against Iran, Uzbekistan and South Korea) but the situation has changed (after a win over Syria and draw against China). We hope to fight against Iran and Uzbekistan," he said.
"If I wasn't confident, I would sit at home," he said with a smile.
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