AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ Qatari Team Captain: Team is Ready for Kickoff and to Deliver Exceptional Performance

Doha, January 11 (QNA) - Captain of the Qatari national football team, Hassan Al Haydos affirmed the team's readiness for AFC Asian Cup 2023 which is set to kick off Friday until Feb. 10 in Doha. A day before the opening match against the Lebanese team at the Lusail Stadium, Al Haydos said in a press conference on Thursday that the Qatari team is ready for the kickoff of the competition and is looking forward to presenting a great performance in the first match. He acknowledged that the team must deliver an exceptional performance especially since the Asian Cup is being held in their homeland and among the fans. The team is counting a lot on the fans' support, and he promises to give everything that they have during the match in order to make them happy and proud. The captain of the Qatari football team also noted that they are placed in a good group since they all fall in the same level of strength. Group A includes Qatar, Lebanon, China and Tajikistan. He added that the team's focus is to take it match by match and surpass the group stage by collecting the needed points. Regarding the recent technical staff changes in the national team, Al Haydos said that changes are sometimes important and benefit the team. He added that they are currently in the great hands of Spanish coach Marquez Lopez and are optimistic about the upcoming journey. Having won the previous title of the Asian Cup in 2019, Al Haydos, who contributed heavily to the win, commented saying that it was an achievement that they are proud to have accomplished for the fans. Winning the title for the first time and delivering a great performance raised the aspirations of the fans and he promised that the same level of performance would be present during the group stage. The Qatari national team has great pressure to defend the title and the captain of the team is confident in the players' ability to handle this pressure and understand their responsibility. He concluded his statements by saying that the team has a great mix of young and experienced players who are prepared to face upcoming challenges and achieve the desired goals. (QNA)