Bangkok,(ST)-The U-16 national soccer team will go head-to-head with their Saudi Arabian counterparts in the AFC U-16 Championship currently being held in Thailnad.
Syria coach Mohamed Al Attar said that his side will be without both forward Abdullah Barakat and defender Wasim Al Nadaf due to suspension.
Syria have at least reached the quarter-finals on all five of their appearances at the AFC U-16 Championship having advanced to the semi-finals in 2006.
“Most of our preparation took place in Syria and we played some matches against club teams in Syria. We also played two matches against club teams in Kuwait a week before coming to Thailand,” said Al Attar.
“We are confident we have had enough time to prepare even though our preparation was only playing against club teams. We are prepared to compete and reach a high level.”
M.D