(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Kick-starting their key 10-day training camp before the 22nd Gulf Cup, Qatar players on Sunday launched their training under the watchful eyes of coach Djamel Belmadi.
Qatar will play DPR Korea today to finalise a six-month preparation phase before taking on Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the regional tournament a week later.
Meanwhile, Qatar star Khalfan Ibrahim has been ruled out of the upcoming Gulf Cup after suffering a knee injury in training.
The Al Sadd striker, 26, sustained a partial tear of a knee ligament and is expected to be out for three or four weeks.
Khalfan's withdrawal constitutes a major blow for Qatar's preparations as coach Djamal Belmadi will go through his first assignment without one of his main attacking guns.
Khalfan was the Asian Player of the Year in 2006, the first Qatari to win the title. He played for Al Arabi in the youth level before moving to Al Sadd in 2004 and leading the Doha-based club to winning the AFC Champions League in 2011.
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