Qatari Players Motivated to Face Iran: Lopez
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Qatar head coach Marquez Lopez says they will enter the match against Iran with big motivation.
He has a full squad to choose from and with Akram Afif, Hassan Al Haydos and Almoez Ali sharing eight goals in the competition, Qatar does have the arsenal to hurt Iran.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup semifinal match will be held at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on Wednesday.
“We recognize that it’s going to be a very tough match,” said Lopez. “It’s our sixth game in a short period, so that will be physically demanding but we are still hopeful of a good performance.
“Iran is a very strong team. We have not underestimated any team we have played in this competition so we will not start doing that against Iran,” the Spaniard added.
“Of course, we enter this match with big motivation, we are one step away from the final. We have a chance to reach a second straight final which is a big driving factor for us.
“The attack of Iran is very strong and we are aware of this. We have plans for that and we will try to minimize their quality up front.
“There’s no talk about trying to take this match into penalties. We always play to win and that will be what we’ll be doing tomorrow,” Lopez concluded.
