Qatar coach warns of 'work' to qualify for Russia 2018

Qatar coach Jose Daniel Carreno admitted Wednesday that it will take "a great deal of work" for his team to qualify for the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.

Qatar have already qualified for the third round of qualifying in the AFC, having won all six of their second round Group C matches so far with a goal difference of plus 25.

South Korea are the only other team in the AFC to have a 100 per cent record -- in Group G -- but the serene progress made by Qatar, World Cup hosts in 2022, means expectation is growing in the tiny Gulf emirate.

But ahead of their final home qualifier against Hong Kong on Thursday, Carreno refused to be carried away by his side's chances of qualifying for their first ever World Cup finals, despite their performances so far.

"With regards to the World Cup in Russia, to be in this World Cup is an objective and we are doing our best to achieve this," the Uruguayan said.

"We very much trust our team and our players but to participate in Russia requires a great deal of work."

Carreno has been the coach of Qatar for almost a year and has won seven of his nine games in charge.

But he has conceded previously that the pressure is on for Qatar to qualify, having spent millions in developing talent and because it is trying to avoid the humiliation of being the first team to host a World Cup finals without ever playing in one since Italy way back in 1934.

The match against Hong Kong means little in terms of the group for Qatar and he may pick a relatively inexperienced side.

But Carreno said they would try to win for the "three points" and to improve Qatar's FIFA ranking, in which they currently stand 80th.

By contrast, Thursday's game is massive for Hong Kong, who still have an outside chance of qualification.

They sit second in the group, three points ahead of huge rival China, who have two games to play.

A victory in what is their final group game could see them progress to the third round of qualification.

The four second placed teams with the best records in the eight AFC groups will progress to the final round of qualification.

Currently Hong Kong are the team with the fifth best record, but victory in Doha could change that.

Three points in Qatar would be especially sweet as it could also deny China -- third in Group C -- any chance of getting to Russia.

"It will be a big achievement for us to stay second with the big countries like China, said coach Kim Pan-gon. "We know it's an amazing story."

Following completion of the second round of qualifying, 12 teams from the AFC -- eight group winners, including Qatar, and the four best losers -- will begin competing later this year to secure one of four guaranteed berths in Russia.
Source: AFP