(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Qatar's young side will be aiming for a positive result with a fighting performance when they make their Copa America debut in a match against former champions Paraguay today.-
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Qatar, with strikers like Almoez Ali and Akram Afif in their ranks, have picked up pace in their training sessions ahead of their Copa America opener.-
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After their match on Sunday, the Asian Cup champions will play against Colombia on June 19 and will take on former World Cup champions Argentina on June 23.-
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Coach Felix Sanchez's side are placed in Group B along with Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia.-
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The 2019 edition of Copa America will take place at six stadiums in five cities with the participation of 12 teams.-
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Qatar and Japan are the invited teams for this year's Copa America.-
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Qatar will become the ninth team outside of CONMEBOL to compete at the event. Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States, Honduras, Panama, Japan, Jamaica and Haiti are the other eight.-
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Al Annabi are joining continental giants Japan at this year's event which kicked off on Friday with a match between hosts Brazil and Bolivia.-
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Japan, who were beaten by Qatar beat in the Asian Cup final this year, made their Copa America debut in 1999.-
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The key to Qatar's chances today will be tall striker Ali who scored 9 of the 19 goals of his team in the last Asian Cup. Ali's main ally is Afif, who gave 10 assists for his team.-
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With this couple, Qatar will seek to show their quality and their conditions as Asian Champions in a difficult Group, experts say.-
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The Qatari team is taking part upon an invitation sent to the Asian champion by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), to be the first Arab team to participate in this tournament.-
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Meanwhile, it was announced on Friday that key defender Bassam Al Rawi has been declared fit for the team's opening match.-
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Asian Cup hero Al Rawi was injured before the team's international friendly against Brazil on June 5. The 21-year-old has returned to training, the team announced yesterday.-
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Qatari defender Tariq Salman yesterday underlined the team's preparation saying the entire squad for the new challenge.-
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'Copa America is a tough competition that will provide every player with tough tests. It will help us build capacity to take on tougher teams, Salman said yesterday.-
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'Playing on Brazilian grounds like the famous Maracana Stadium is a great challenge for our players. We hope to give our best and to enjoy this atmosphere in this historic stadium, he added.-
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'I hope we will succeed and achieve a positive result, Salman said.-
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Paraguay, who were crowned Copa America champions twice in 1953 and 1979, are looking to avoid early hiccups and produce a positive result at Al Annabi's expense.-
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The South Americans have posted only one victory in their last eight games, but in their last match before the Copa America they beat Guatemala 2-0.-
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New coach of Paraguay Eduardo Berizzo will be expecting to have his top players deliver a commanding performance against Qatar.-
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Strikers Tonny Sanabria and Angel Romero will be the ones to look at.-
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