The Lebanese national soccer team plays a crucial match against Palestine on Thursday in the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup.
The Lebanese national team will face its Palestinian counterpart tomorrow at 7pm (Beirut time) at the “Jassem Bin Hamad” stadium of the al-Sadd club in the Qatari capital, Doha. The match is part of the penultimate day of Group 9 competitions.
Lebanon’s Back Against The Wall
Lebanon’s back is against the wall in these qualifiers. Indeed, Lebanon must win this match to keep their chances of qualifying for the final phase of the continental tournament intact.
Lebanon will also be aiming for victory over Bangladesh in their final match on Tuesday. The Cedars will also have to rely on a slip-up by Palestine against Australia on the final day to guarantee their qualification.
Australia Already Qualified
For their part, the Australian team have already secured the first of the two qualifying tickets in this group with a perfect score after four qualifying rounds, while Palestine occupy second place with 7 points, followed by Lebanon with 2 points, and Bangladesh with one point.
A lot has changed since the two teams met in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, last November, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Indeed, the Palestinian team has succeeded in bolstering its ranks with top-level players from renowned clubs. AIK Stockholm striker Omar Faraj, who had previously played two international matches for Sweden, made a spectacular turnaround by joining his homeland’s national team. The same goes for his compatriot midfielder Mustafa Zidan, and Egyptian al-Ahly centre-forward Wissam Abu Ali, who had played for the youth teams in Denmark.
The Lebanese are aware of the difficulty of the task, especially as they will be without injured attacking midfielder Bassel Jradi and defensive midfielder Ali Tneich “Sisi”, suspended for several yellow cards. It’s a situation that Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulović described as a great loss for the Lebanese team “because these two players are essential and regular choices, and I consider them key elements that always have a positive impact on our matches”.
At the press conference held on Wednesday, Radulović reviewed the work done by him and his players since their arrival in Doha last week: “Since the first day of this training camp, I was satisfied with the work of the players, their discipline and the general atmosphere. We know we have a big match ahead of us, and only victory will help us”. He added: “We’ve been training over the last few days on the strategy we’ll be following in the next two games, and it’s clear that the players are making steady progress, which makes me happy. Overall, I’m very satisfied.”
For his part, striker Omar Chaaban Bougel declared: “Our aim is to win the match against Palestine, as it is very important for the country. Our duty in attack is to score goals, and I’ve performed well with my team in England, and I want to continue that form with the Lebanese team. I’m looking forward to this match, which I consider the most important, and I hope we get the result we deserve tomorrow”.
Ten matches have pitted Lebanon against Palestine in the past: three wins for Lebanon, two wins for Palestine, and five draws. Hopefully, these statistics will be reinforced in Lebanon’s favor on Thursday!
