(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
CHANGZHOU: Qatar, coached by Felix Sanchez, take on Uzbekistan tomorrow in their opening match of the AFC U23 Championship with firm hopes of making it to the knock-out stage of the region's premier Olympic squad tournament.
With the latest edition of the AFC U23 Championship set to begin tomorrow, football fans across Asia are once again looking forward to seeing the region's finest young talent lock horns en route to continental glory.
After their first-round clash tomorrow, Qatar will face Oman (January 12) before meeting hosts China (January 15) in the preliminary stage of the tournament.
In total, 16 teams will be vying to claim the title won by Japan two years ago in Qatar, and with the likes of Iraqi ace Hussain Ali and host nation livewire Wei Shihao set to grace the competition, expectation is high that the tournament will further enhance its already burgeoning reputation.
This month's action in Jiangsu Province which will conclude with the competition's final on January 27 gets underway at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Center when head coach Massimiliano Maddaloni's talented China side tackle Oman.
Reigning champions Japan are scheduled to begin their title defence against competition debutants Palestine on Wednesday.
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