India faces an uphill task against Qatar in WC Qualifiers
Their preparation was far from ideal but India would take inspiration from the draw against Asian Champions Qatar in 2019 when they face same opponents in the second-leg match of the joint World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers, in Doha on Thursday. India had held mighty Qatar 0-0 in September 2019 in Doha, a result considered as one of the best for the side.
India's performance has deteriorated since the 2019 match
But India is playing their home match in Doha as the Qatari capital was chosen as the centralized venue for all the remaining Group E matches after the qualifiers were halted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India's performance, however, has gone south since then, while Qatar, the group toppers, have come into Thursday's match on a high.
India faced a demoralizing 0-6 defeat against the UAE
They beat Luxembourg (1-0) and Azerbaijan (2-1) and played out a 1-1 draw against Ireland in the international friendly matches in March. Meanwhile, India is coming into this match after a demoralizing 0-6 drubbing against the UAE in an international friendly in March.
'Players did not get proper training facilities in Doha'
On top of that, India's preparation has been hit hard as they had to cancel a national camp scheduled in early May in Kolkata. The team reached Doha on May 19 only to find that players would not get the facilities they would have wanted. Stimac himself had expressed the frustration, saying that it was "not an ideal preparation" for the World Cup Qualifiers.
Sunil Chhetri's return will boost the Indian team's confidence
On the positive side, Stimac will have the chance to field a full-strength Indian team after a long time with all the core players available for selection and without injury concern. That 2019 match against Qatar did not have talisman Sunil Chhetri due to a viral fever and his return will surely boost the confidence of the young Indian side.
Difference between the two sides is evident from their rankings
Chhetri also missed the two international friendlies in March, including the one against UAE, as he was recovering from the COVID-19 infection. But there will be a gulf in class between the two sides. Qatar is ranked 58th in the FIFA chart against India's 105th.
Qatar will come out all guns blazing at us: Chhetri
"Qatar is one of the top teams in Asia. They have had some decent results against top European and South American teams in recent past," Chhetri said. "The last time we took a point against them makes us confident as a team. We understand they will come out all guns blazing at us, and we need to stick together as a team," he said.
India already out of contention for a World Cup berth
Currently fourth in Group E with three points from five matches, India is already out of the reckoning for a World Cup berth but still in contention for the 2023 Asian Cup. Qatar has won five out of their six matches in these qualifiers.
