Dubai: Paraguay coach Gustavo ‘Guga’ Zloccowick plans to use the ensuing seventh Huawei Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup to prepare his team for the future.
Paraguay lost 5-4 against hosts the UAE in a friendly match at the Al Mamzar sand pitch late on Saturday, and Guga admitted that his group of players was a team in motion for the future.
“Our sights are on the 2019 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup, and that is why we have so many new faces in the squad this time,” Guga said.
No hosts have yet been announced for 2019, while Russia is expected to put up a tantalising bid for hosting the 2021 event with 16 teams playing in the iconic Red Square in Moscow.
“We are still not ready for this tournament, but by Tuesday we will be ready 100 per cent,” Guga hoped.
“We’ve lost our best player [Pedro Moran] due to some family problem, and that has affected team morale to an extent. But we are here to learn from this experience of playing against the best teams in the world. It is just a matter of time,” the former UAE coach added.
Paraguay will start against favourites Iran on Tuesday, followed by matches against Russia and Mexico. “No doubt, the group is very strong with Russia always the favourites to win while Iran is improving all the time. But we will need to do something special here, and if we can win one of the first two matches [Russia or Iran], and have a second win against Mexico then we are through to the next stages. This is our plan,” the Brazilian said.
