“It will be a tough match against a Kuwaiti team that will play in its home,” Garcia said ahead of the final group game. “We are confident that we can make it to the semi-finals with the quality that we have.”

While a coach’s pep talk ahead of a crucial tie is not unusual, Qatar only have a few reasons to be confident ahead of the game. An inexperienced squad under a new head coach, in addition to recent injury struggles and a poor run of form, severely limits the Asian champions’ bases to be assured.

The already injury-marred side suffered another setback as left-back Sultan Al-Brake was stretchered in the first half against Oman after suffering a leg injury. The Qatar Football Association later confirmed that he would be missing the rest of the tournament.

“There are significant absences in our national team but we have a list of 26 players. We were focused on finding alternatives during our training sessions,” Garcia said, adding he was happy with the preparations after the Oman defeat.

Qatar’s defense, which has looked shaky and unsettled recently, will go up against the likes of Mohammad Daham, Yousef Nasser, and Eid Al-Rasheedi. It will have to out shrug off the lousy display against Oman to contain and keep the hopes of progressing to the next round alive.

Although Qatar have not lost against Kuwait for more than 14 years now, their last defeat came in the 2010 Arabian Gulf Cup. Similar was the case before the last match, which they ended up losing for the first time to Oman since 2009.

A win alone will not be enough, however. They will also have to rely on the result of the Oman-UAE tie to progress. Group A sits in a tricky state as pre-tournament favourites Qatar and UAE sit winless, while Oman and Kuwait have four points from two games. Anything but a win for Garcia’s men will see them get eliminated automatically.

A win for Qatar against Kuwait, coupled with a win for Oman or a draw in the other game will be ideal, as Al Annabi will not have to rely on further calculations to end up in the final four.

A UAE win, coupled with a win for Qatar, will put all members of the group on four points and goal difference will come into play. Both Qatar and UAE have a goal difference of -1 at the moment, while Oman and Kuwait have scored one more than they have conceded so far.

For Qatar, however, the last group game will also serve as a reality check for the quality that its new-look squad possesses. At a personal level, it will also be vital for Garcia’s shot to make his position in charge of the national team permanent.

“It is a very important tournament for Qatar since we can test the quality of the young players in a team that is in transition,” the Spaniard said.

“It is also an opportunity for each player to try and show what they have. But the combined goal is to keep pushing and to try working as a team.”

With all the constraints, it is obvious that giving their best is the only — and the best — thing that Garcia and the team can do at the moment.