Fresh from lifting their second-ever Asian Cup trophy on home soil, Group A favourites Qatar will welcome Kuwait to Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday night for a World Cup qualifier.
The Maroons are heading towards a place in the third stage of qualification following a flawless start to the campaign, whilst the Blue Wave are set for a battle to finish inside the top two.
Match preview
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After winning their first-ever Asian Cup in 2019, Qatar were able to repeat the trick four years later on home soil during an action-packed January tournament, with the hosts securing the major honour with a 3-1 victory over the competition's surprise package Jordan in the final.
Becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the final of the Asian Cup, Maroons attacker Akram Afif delivered from the penalty spot on three occasions over the course of the contest to swipe out Yazan Al-Naimat's equaliser in the second period, and 27-year-old will be hoping to produce plenty more magic during the rest of 2024.
Focusing on World Cup qualification, Qatar made a perfect start on their quest to feature in the sport's grandest competition in North America in 2026, with the Maroons winning back-to-back matches against Afghanistan and India during November, meaning that Thursday's hosts sit top of the Group A standings with maximum points.
Only taking charge of the Qatar national side in December, Tintin Marquez has already guided the Maroons to a major trophy in the form of the Asian Cup, with the 62-year-old well versed in the strengths of his close-knit squad, despite only being in the hotseat for a matter of months.
Qatar took part in their first-ever World Cup in back late 2022 as they hosted the tournament, but the Gulf State failed to make it out of the group stage, losing matches to Ecuador, Senegal and Louis van Gaal's Netherlands, scoring just the single goal through Mohammed Muntari.
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After failing to qualify for the Asian Cup in January, Kuwait battled against Uganda and Libya in friendlies to commence their 2024 schedule, but Thursday's visitors to Qatar were unable to earn a win as they suffered 2-0 and 3-1 defeats respectively to begin the calendar year on a sour note.
It appears that the Blue Wave will be fighting a resurgent India side for second spot in Group A, and following a 1-0 loss to the Blue Tigers during the opening match of the section on November 16, they made swift amends by defeating bottom side Afghanistan 4-0 on November 21.
Kuwait took a one-goal advantage into the half-time break against Ashley Westwood's side thanks to a strike from Shabib Al Khaldi, before another effort from the 22-time international - as well goals from Mohammad Daham and Athbi Saleh - secured a comfortable 4-0 victory.
The Blue Wave only suffered two defeats during 2023, and one of those arrived in the Gulf Cup against Qatar in the first month of the year, when goals from Amro Surag and Ahmed Alaaeldin sealed a two-goal success for the Maroons.
Team News
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After over 16 years as part of Qatar's first team, captain Hassan Al Haidos has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 33.
The Maroons will therefore be looking for new names to step up in the engine room, including the likes of Ahmed Fathi and 22-year-old Jassem Abulsallam.
January's hat-trick hero Afif is set to retain his spot on the left flank, supplying the ammunition for Almoez Ali at the focal point of the attack.
Following his brace in the 4-0 thrashing of Afghanistan in November, striker Al Khaldi should keep his place in the XI alongside Bandar Al Salama.
Qatar possible starting lineup:
Barsham; Salman, Mukhtar, Mendes, Waad; Abulsallam, Fathi, Abdurisag, Hatem, Afif; Ali
Kuwait possible starting lineup:
Al Rahman Kameel; Ammar, Al Hajeri, Al Enezi, Ghareeb; Al Dhefiri, Jabarah, Saleh, Daham; Al Salama, Al Khaldi
We say: Qatar 2-0 Kuwait
Following their Asian Cup success earlier in the year, Qatar will be very confident of securing back-to-back wins over Kuwait in March.
The Blue Wave struggled during friendlies against Uganda and Libya in January, and Rui Bento's men are unlikely to earn anything from their trip to Doha on Thursday.
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