Doha, November 17 (QNA) - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) indicated that Qatar is set to become the 13th Asian nation to compete at the FIFA World Cup when they face Ecuador in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 opening match at Al Bayt stadium on Sunday.

In its report, the AFC highlighted that with a record six Asian nations, the continent stands as big a chance of delivering exceptional results in this significant football event.

The report pointed out that solid defense is Qatars primary strength point. In addition, Qatar national team have several experienced players, such as Hassan Al Haydos, who leads by example whether he is in the starting XI or coming as an impact substitute.

One-club man Al Haydos is the only player in the squad to have made his debut prior to Qatar being awarded the FIFA World Cup hosting rights 12 years ago.

While Qatar are defensively adept, their ability to find the back of the net depends at great lengths on the form of Almoez Ali. With 40 international goals to his name, he is currently just two shy of 1980s legend Mansour Muftah in the chart of Qatars all-time top scorers and there will be no bigger stage for him to break the record than at a home FIFA World Cup.

Under Felix Sanchez, Qatar have developed a clear playing identity. Despite his Barcelona links, Sanchez employs a defensive-minded 5-3-2 system that at times changes to 5-2-3.

Width is provided by the two wing-backs while in recent times, Abdelkarim Hassans conversion into a left sided center-back has meant he is also playing a role in carrying the ball forward and penetrating from deep.

Akram Afif and Almoez Ali often form a front two, while captain Hassan Al Haydos either joins from the right to form a front three or at times plays in the number 10 role when Sanchez opts for two men up front.

Afif stands out as the creative force of the side, having set-up a record 10 assists in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup , and he will once again be relied upon to carve open opposition defenses with his mix of trickery and visionary passing to feed Ali inside the box.

Set to be the youngest member of Sanchezs starting XI, 23-year-old left-back Homam Al Amin Ahmed has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the Qatar Stars League over the past couple of seasons and has also represented his club side Al Gharafa in the AFC Champions League.

Equally competent in the defensive and attacking parts of the game, Al Amins 186 cm height allows him to challenge for aerial balls while his deliveries into the box and overlapping runs will pose a threat for Qatars Group A opponents.

(QNA)