Maldives to play Al-Markhiya SC in friendly game in Doha on the 14th of August.

Maldives National team currently training in Doha, Qatar will meet the Qatargas league tomorrow in Al Markhiya Stadium at 7pm Qatar time. National coach Petar Segrt said speaking to the media a few days ago that everything is going well and the team are in good spirits. Maldives national team are in Qatar in preparation for the SAFF Suzuki cup starting next month in Bangladesh.

Al-Markhiya SC is one of the strongest teams in the Qatargas league, which is the second tier of Qatar. Al-Markhiya won the league 4 times in their short history. The club founded in 1995 is also nickamed Al-Ittihad. 

Maldives will play their first competitive game against Sri Lanka on the 7th of September. Maldives will play the favorites India on the 9th. Maldives is expected to advance from the group. Already fans are comparing this team to the SAFF winning team of 2008, nicknamed the GOLD TEAM. Maldives, India and Sri Lanka are in group B. The hosts Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the long time absentee Pakistan will battle out in Group A. First and second of the groups will play a round of semi-finals before the final match on the 15th of September in Bandabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. 

Maldives will be without their best player Ali Ashfaq (Dhagandey) as Maldives Boss Petar Segart deems him too old for the next World Cup squad. With a larger number of youth players, the National team has shown promise by thrashing Bhutan earlier this year. Segrt hopes to win qualification for the next World Cup at 2022.

The team will travel from Qatar directly in time for the SAFF Suzuki cup in Bangladesh.

BoalhaMV wishes the team all the best.

Photo: ImagesMV