Queiroz: Iran well prepared to beat Qatar in FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Iranian national soccer team's head coach Carlos Queiroz said here on Wednesday that his men are ready to beat Qatar in their opening third-round match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Iran will host Qatar at Tehran's Azadi Stadium on Thursday.

"We know Qatar has prepared well for the competition. They take advantage of several good players and technical staff," Queiroz was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

"We respect them. Qatar has also won the right to host World Cup 2022 as an Asian team and we have to praise them," he added.

However, "My men are committed to their country as they've proved in the past. I hope we can provide awesome moments for all our fans and to make them happy at the end of the match," the Portuguese coach added.

Iran has been drawn in Group A of the World Cup qualification along with South Korea, Uzbekistan, China, Qatar and Syria. Iran will face Qatar on September 1 in Tehran, and China on September 6 in Shenyang.

Qatar's captain Hassan Al Haidos said on Wednesday that although they face a difficult group to progress, they are determined to qualify for soccer's premier event for the first time.

"I don't think we could have had a more difficult home game. It's always very tough against Iran and even more so away from home, in front of their fans, but I think we're ready to face the challenge this time," Al Haidos said.

The Uruguayan head coach of Qatar's national team, Jose Daniel Carreno, said Tuesday that his team had no fear of playing against Iran and would play in Tehran to take the three points, Tehran Times daily reported.

"Iran is one of the best teams in Asia but we don't have any fear against the team. We've totally prepared for this game as we have had good training camps and friendly matches during the last thirty days", Carreno said, adding that "I can assure that the players are in the best form." Endit