(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
|
The Peninsula
DOHA: Mohammed Muntari has returned to the Qatar squad after a lengthy injury layoff as head coach Marquez Lopez named a 27-man roster for crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.
The 30-year-old striker, with 60 national team appearances, bolsters Qatar's attack as they urgently seek points to revive their World Cup bid.
Muntari underwent knee surgery following a severe injury sustained in Qatar's 3-0 win over Cambodia in a friendly on December 31, which sidelined him for the Arabian Gulf Cup and AFC Asian Cup.
He made his comeback with Al Gharafa, showcasing flashes of his form by scoring against his former club Al Duhail as a substitute in an Ooredoo Stars League match on October 27.
He followed that with another goal off the bench in last week's game against Al Arabi, before a brief appearance in Al Gharafa's AFC Champions League Elite match against Persepolis on Monday.
Qatar head coach Marquez Lopez
Muntari is expected to join star forwards Akram Afif and Almoez Ali when Qatar host Uzbekistan at Doha's Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on November 14. The two-time Asian champions will then head to Abu Dhabi to face the UAE at Al Nahyan Stadium five days later in a return fixture. Qatar previously lost 3-1 to the UAE in their September clash at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
In addition to Muntari, Lopez has called up Al Sadd midfielder Mustafa Tariq and Al Duhail left-back Homam Al Amin while dropping Al Duhail's Mohammed Ayash, Naif Al Hadhrami (Al Shahania), and Ahmed Alaa (Al Arabi).
Qatar currently have only four points from their first four matches, trailing Group A leaders Iran and Uzbekistan by six points, after a heavy 4-1 loss to Iran in their most recent qualifier.
Despite the slow start, Lopez remains optimistic about Qatar's chances in the remaining six games.
“Our goal remains to qualify for the World Cup and the opportunity is still there. The mission is tough, but we must fight for our chances until the last breath,” he had said following the defeat to Iran.
The top two teams in each of Asia's three qualifying groups in the ongoing third round will secure direct World Cup berths, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the fourth round of the Asian Qualifiers.
Qatar squad
Goalkeepers: Marwan Sherif (Al Ahli), Meshaal Barsham (Al Sadd), Saad Al Sheeb (Al Sadd), Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail)
Defenders: Abdelrahman Moustafa (Al Ahli), Abdullah Al Yazidi, (Al Sadd), Abdelkarim Hassan (Al Wakrah), Ahmed Fathy (Al Arabi), Ahmed Al Ganehi (Al Gharafa), Bassam Al Rawi (Al Duhail), Boualem Khoukhi (Al Duhail), Homam Al Amin (Al Gharafa), Ibrahim Al Hassan (Cultural Leonesa – Spain), Tarek Salman (Al Sadd), Sultan Al Brake (Al Duhail), Lucas Mendez (Al Wakrah)
Midfielders: Almahdi Ali (Al Wakrah), Ismaeel Mohammad (Al Duhail), Jassim Jaber (Al Arabi), Mohammed Waad (Al Sadd), Mostafa Tarek (Al Sadd), Yousef Abdulrazaq (Al Gharafa), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan)
Forwards: Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al Duhail), Edmilson Junior (Al Duhail), Mohammed Muntari (Al Gharafa)
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