Qatar coach Jose Daniel Carreno (left)  and Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon.

When you are firing on all cylinders, why bother slowing down. That’s the approach Qatar coach Jose Daniel Carreno is adopting, going into today’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong. With qualification into the third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers already in the bag, one would have expected Carreno to blood a few youngsters. But the Uruguayan has no intentions of taking the foot off the pedal.
Today, at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium, Carreno will field a full strength lineup, similar to one that played in the last match, the 3-0 away win over Bhutan. “There isn’t going to be a huge difference to the lineup as compared to the last match. Against Hong Kong we will play with a lineup that we think is ideal for the match,” said Carreno during the pre-match press conference yesterday.
“I do not think that a match in the World Cup qualifiers can be used to try new tactics. Any player who will play is because we believe that he will add value to the squad. There are some friendly matches at the end of May where we can try out other players,” he added.
The Qatar coach doesn’t want his team to lose the momentum. “For us winning and getting three points will give us more confidence and reinforce our position as a team and also help us improve our rankings. We’re lucky to have guaranteed our qualification. This is an opportunity for us to reinforce our position as a team,” said the 52-year-old. Qatar are currently ranked 80th in the world.  
While Qatar will be playing for the win, the match is of more importance to their opponents. Hong Kong have a historic chance to finish second in Group C and thus deny China a chance to progress to the next round. This is Hong Kong’s last group match. They currently have a three-point gap over China who have a game in hand. China play Maldives today and then take on Qatar in their last group game. A win will greatly increase Hong Kong’s chances and even a draw will boost their cause.
“This is a big challenge for us because we are playing against a strong, attacking team. If we can take one or three points, then something can happen for us. We are not playing under pressure. We’re going to go out there and enjoy our game,” said Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon yesterday.     
The possibility of knocking China out of the competition will work as a motivating factor, believes Pan-gon. “We’re just looking forward to make history for us. We will fight. Every player knows the importance of this game. I’m confident that we will fight for the win,” said the Hong Kong coach.   
“it will be a big achievement if we stay in second. To finish ahead of a huge country like China will be an amazing story. It will be amazing not just for the players but also the citizens,” added Pan-gon.  
With Qatar having scored 27 goals so far, the maximum amongst the Asian teams, Hong Kong will have a tough time containing the likes of Rodrigo Tabata and Sebastian Soria. But Pan-gon believes that his team’s strong character will hold them in good stead. “We are focused on our target. Our strong point is that we have a strong fighting spirit. We are very confident about the game,” said the South Korean yesterday.
Qatar coach Carreno is expecting Hong Kong to be a difficult opponent. “The difficulty of the match lies in the fact that Hong Kong have no other option but to win this match. They have come to Doha to get three points. This won’t be an easy match for us,” said Carreno.
While Qatar have comfortably qualified for the third round, getting that coveted spot in the 2018 World Cup is still a long away ahead and will require a lot of effort, warns Carreno.  “To be in the World Cup in Russia is our objective. We know that it’s going to be difficult. There are many strong teams in the AFC. We trust our players. But our participation in Russia requires a lot of work,” said the Uruguayan.  
That’s a finish line far away, with multiple hurdles. For now, the immediate one is to deliver a good performance at home against Hong Kong and keep the momentum going.