A spot in the knockout stage of the Asian Cup is within reach for Qatar as the hosts battle Tajikistan on Wednesday at Al Bayt Stadium.
In the opening game of this tournament, the Maroon defeated Lebanon 3-0, while the Crowns settled for a 0-0 draw with China.
Match preview
It may have been their first-ever encounter at the Asian Cup, though Tajikistan did not look overwhelmed by the moment, putting China on their heels for a good portion of that contest.
While that result extended their unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions, Petar Segrt will see it as a missed opportunity as his young team were the aggressors for long stretches.
The draw versus China was the first time this side had failed to find the back of the net since March 2023 (0-0 draw versus the United Arab Emirates), with the Crowns scoring 13 times in their five previous encounters.
While Segrt tends to be an aggressive coach, allowing his youngsters the freedom to move forward at will, he has seen a much sharper defensive unit in recent matches, with Tajikistan conceding a goal or fewer in six successive fixtures.
They have not lost to a side from Asia since June 2023 (5-1 defeat to Uzbekistan) and have not been held off the scoresheet in consecutive matches since playing to a pair of 0-0 draws in November 2022 (versus Russia) and March 2023 (against the United Arab Emirates).
It has been over a decade since they last faced Qatar on the international stage, with Tajikistan earning their first-ever triumph against them, 2-1 in a 2012 friendly.
An eager and aggressive Qatar side looked sharp from the opening whistle on Friday and were rewarded for their efforts with a deserving victory.
While it took nearly the entire opening 45 minutes for them to go in front, their patience eventually paid off, with the Maroon scoring three or more goals in a game for the fourth time in their last five fixtures.
A victory on matchday two, combined with a win or draw by China versus Lebanon, would see the reigning Asian champions advance into the last 16 on consecutive occasions for the first time.
The Maroon have not lost a group stage encounter at this tournament since 2015 (2-1 loss to Bahrain), winning their last four Asian Cup group matches by a combined score of 13-0.
Since Tintin Marquez replaced Carlos Queiroz in December, this team have not only been sharp in the attack but equally resolute on the back end, with this side conceding in only one of his matches at the helm (2-1 defeat versus Jordan).
Qatar have captured three of their four encounters all-time versus Tajikistan and have never been held scoreless against them.
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Team News
Segrt made three changes to his starting 11 on Saturday, with Rustam Yatimov, Alisher Shukurov and Amadoni Kamolov replacing Mukhriddin Khasanov, Parvizdzhon Umarbayev and Amirbek Dzhuraboyev.
Ehson Panjshanbe and captain Parvizdzhon Umarbayev are just four caps shy of 50 and two behind teammate Mukhammadzhon Rakhimov for seventh all-time.
Rustam Soirov and Shahrom Samiev netted in their 2-1 triumph over Hong Kong at the beginning of 2024 as this team still seek their first-ever goal at this tournament.
On matchday one, we saw two newcomers in the Qatari lineup who did not start their match against Jordan, with Al-Mahdi Ali Mukhtar and Yusuf Abdurisag replacing Homam Ahmed and Mostafa Meshaal.
Ro-Ro is still 10 caps shy of 100 after being on the bench for their opener, while Boualem Khoukhi remains at 113, one behind Bilal Mohammed for fifth all-time.
Akram Afif notched a brace in their victory over Lebanon, putting him at 29 with the national team, two behind Mahmoud Soufi for seventh all-time, while record goalscorer Almoez Ali collected his 51st as a member of the Maroon and Meshaal Barsham made five stops to pick up a clean sheet.
Tajikistan possible starting lineup:
Yatimov; Safarov, Khanonov, Dzhuraboyev, Nazarov; Shukurov, Umarbayev; Ayni, Dzhalilov, Panjshanbe; Soirov
Qatar possible starting lineup:
Barsham; Miguel, Mukhtar, Mendes; Mohammed, Al-Haydos, Fatehi, Hatem; Gaber; Afif, Ali
We say: Tajikistan 0-3 Qatar
As well as Tajikistan played in their opener, their aggressive approach could leave them short at the back, and Qatar have some experienced attackers who can make you pay when you leave too much space in behind.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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