Qatar Take On Brunei In Opening AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifier

Doha, Qatar: Qatar U-23 coach Ilidio Vale yesterday made the team's intentions clear as the Group H hosts begin their quest to secure a spot in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup finals for the sixth time.

Qatar take on Brunei in their opening clash of the qualifiers at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, with the kick off set for 8:00pm today.

The youthful Al Annabi side and Brunei are pitted alongside India and Bahrain in the initial stage as 16 teams, including finals hosts Saudi Arabia will make it to next year's finals.

Speaking ahead of the opening match, the Portuguese tactician expressed his satisfaction with the preparations and his confidence in the team's ability to advance to the continental finals.

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“Our full focus right now is on securing qualification for the AFC Asian Cup finals. Since I took charge of the national team two years ago, our priority has been to develop the players' abilities and elevate their technical level, particularly as many of them have the potential to compete for places in the senior team,” Vale said.

Qatar U-23 player Jassim Al-Sharshani noted the team is ready for the challenge and described the atmosphere within the squad as wonderful.

“Our preparations over the past period have gone very well, with everyone training as expected. Now, we look forward to the support of our fans during these qualifying matches as we strive to achieve our goal of reaching the AFC Asian Cup finals,” Al-Sharshani said during the pre-match press conference.

Vale's counterpart, Brunei coach Aminuddin Jumat stressed the difficulty of facing Qatar in the opening match, but expressed confidence in his players to perform well.

The opening day of the qualifiers will also see Bahrain take on India at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in another key clash, which kicks off at 6:15pm.

For both nations, this will be their seventh appearance in the qualifying stages.

Qatar's second match will be against India on September 6, before they conclude the group stage on September 9 with a clash against Bahrain.

A record 44 teams will begin their journey towards the finals in 11 groups, with 15 places at stake. All group winners and the four best runners-up overall, along with hosts Saudi Arabia will complete the final line-up.

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