Qatar manager Felix Sanchez Bas should be working with his full 26-man squad for Sunday's World Cup 2022 opener with Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Group A.

The Maroon suffered a brief scare when attacker Ahmed Alaaeldin came off injured in their final warm-up friendly with Albania last week, but he is expected to be fine for this one.

However, Alaaeldin will likely cede his place up front either way, with Akram Afif expected to come back in and form a two-man attacking line with Almoez Ali, who will become his nation's highest scorer of all time if he nets his 43rd international goal here.

Just behind the duo should be captain Hassan Al-Haydos and his record 169 caps - which he has achieved at the age of 31 - as he aims to replace Ali Asad in the number 10 role.

Abdulaziz Hatem and Karim Boudiaf - another two players with over 100 international appearances to their name - should form the base of the midfield, as Pedro Miguel and Homam Ahmed act as the wing-backs.

A trio of centre-backs in Bassam Al-Rawi, Tarek Salman and Abdelkarim Hassan will expect to protect undisputed number one Saad Al Sheeb, as Qatar aim to become the first-ever AFC nation to win their inaugural World Cup game.

Qatar possible starting lineup: Al-Sheeb; Miguel, Al-Wari, Salman, Hassan, Ahmed; Hatem, Boudiaf; Al-Haydos; Ali, Afif

> Click here to see how Ecuador could line up for this match

Written by
Ben Knapton