Feliks Sanches: "The Uzbekistan team is getting stronger. For example, just recently a young player moved to 'City'"

Feliks Sanches Bas, a Spanish specialist who led the Qatar national team to the Asian Championship and is currently managing the "Al Sadd" team, gave a brief interview to the press.

Feliks Sanches Bas arrived in Tashkent to participate in the match against "Pakhtakor" in the Elite OChL Round 8 with "Al Sadd". Yesterday, official press conferences were held before the match with the participation of the coaches of both teams. After the press conference with the head coach of "Al Sadd" and the player concluded, journalist Abdulvosit Bektemirov addressed the Spanish specialist with a question.

- Mr. Feliks, you managed the Qatar national team from 2017 to 2022 and are considered a significant contributor to the development of football in the country. Currently, there are only 4 matches left in the ongoing World Cup 2026 qualifying stage. Could you share your thoughts on the participation of the Qatar national team in the qualifying stage? How do you assess Qatar's chances of securing a World Cup spot?

- Currently, Qatar is in a bit of a difficult situation. After the recent results, the issue of Qatar qualifying directly for the World Cup has become complicated. In my opinion, our national team has a fairly strong squad, but our opponents in the group are also serious teams. There are four matches ahead, and we need to collect as many points as possible in these games. As I mentioned earlier, in the current situation, securing a direct spot seems challenging. It appears that achieving our goal through the playoff stage might be much easier.

Currently, Qatar has many strong and excellent players. The recent Asian Cup can attest to this, but it is not always easy to qualify for the World Cup.

- In June, the Uzbekistan and Qatar national teams will meet again. Uzbekistan has lost to Qatar in the last two matches. What are your expectations from the final match of the qualifying stage?

- This match will be the last opportunity for both national teams, and I don't need to emphasize how significant this match is. It will be the last chance to secure a World Cup spot, after all. Qatar has a strong squad, and so does Uzbekistan. In recent years, the Uzbekistan national team has been getting stronger, and the quality of players in your country is becoming evident, especially with talented young players. For example, your defender who recently joined "Manchester City". In conclusion, I believe it will be a tough match for both teams.