Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Coach Theo Bucker will be without defenders Nour Mansour and Bilal Najjarine as Lebanon look to put their 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign back on track at home to Thailand in Group B on Friday.
Mansour was sent-off just before the hour mark as Iran eased to a 5-0 win over Lebanon in last month’s Group B opener, while Najjarin has been ruled out with a hamstring injuring having played the entire game in Tehran.
With Lebanon also resuming their bid to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, Bucker’s side shared a goalless draw with Bahrain on Sunday.
“After losing the first match, the match against Thailand will be very important for us although there is a lot of pressure,” said Bucker.
“We need a positive result in order to maintain our chances, especially as qualifying for the Asian Cup finals is very important for us.
“Thailand’s players are good and they have an experienced coach which means that the match will not be easy for us. However, I have a lot trust in the abilities of the players to have a good performance and I'm optimistic that we can get a positive result.”
Thailand arrived in Beirut on Tuesday having lost 1-0 to Qatar in a friendly at the weekend with Winfried Schaefer’s side seeking a first win of the campaign having suffered a 3-1 home defeat by Kuwait at the start of last month.
“I hope that we can win against Lebanon, although the match will not be easy against a tough opponent who are playing at home in front of their fans,” said Schaefer.
“The physical abilities of the Lebanese players are good and they will give us a hard time.
“We lost our first match in the qualifiers, and so did Lebanon, and this means that the match will be very hard for the two sides who will be looking for redemption. We have prepared well and we will fight in order to get the three points.”
Having posted win in their opening games, Group B leaders Kuwait and Iran meet in Kuwait City on Tuesday.