Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Iran vice-captain Ashkan Dejagah believes his side will have to be at their very best when they meet Qatar in the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The two teams will face off in their opening Group A third round clash in Tehran’s iconic Azadi Stadium on September 1.
Al Arabi midfielder Dejagah, who is one of the very few current Asian internationals with a top European league title under his belt, exclusively told www.sc.qa that ‘Al Annabi’ have improved enormously and can challenge his team for a direct entry to Russia.
“The Qatar national team has improved so much over the last four years since we played them in the 2014 qualifiers. They now pose a threat to all other Asian sides. They have a number of good players almost all of whom play in the Qatar Stars League. Football in Qatar is more competitive and a lot different now,” said the 2008-09 Bundesliga winner with Wolfsburg.
In April, when the third round draw was made, Queiroz had tipped opposite number José Carreño’s side along with continental heavyweights Korea Republic as the main Group A challengers blocking Iran’s progress to their second successive FIFA World Cup.
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