Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Beirut: Lebanon coach Theo Bucker remained realistic about his side’s chances in the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers beginning next month.
“Any group would have been difficult for us. The qualifiers are a chance for us to make changes and take a positive step towards a better future. We’re certainly not guaranteed to qualify, but we mustn’t close the door to any opportunity that comes our way,” he told FIFA.com.
Lebanon will begin their campaign against Korea Republic away on September 2 before hosting UAE four days later. They will play against Kuwait on October 11.
“Korea Republic are Korea Republic, and Kuwait and the UAE are young sides that have been doing very well recently. For all that, there’s no such thing as impossible in football, and we remain optimistic we can do well ourselves,” said the 63-year-old who coached Lebanon during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Bucker believes that Lebanon have what it takes to go into the return game with points to their name against Korea Republic.
“There’s no belief in the strength and skill of the Lebanese game; we have to change people’s perceptions of that and restore the players’ faith in themselves. We must go into this game confident that we can put on a great performance and come away with a result,” said the German.