By Pearl Josephine Nazare
VANCOUVER, June 16 (Reuters) - Canada and Qatar meet on Thursday with Group B finely poised, setting up a compelling clash in Vancouver where victory would allow either side to claim three vital points and break ahead in the World Cup standings.
Co-hosts Canada arrive following a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto and can expect strong backing once again in Vancouver, having enjoyed vocal home support in their opener in the normally ice hockey-mad nation.
Qatar,
hosts in 2022, also began with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland in California.
BC Place stadium has already shown its appetite for the tournament, drawing a strong crowd for Australia's 2-0 win over Turkey, and is expected to provide a vibrant backdrop as the home side chase victory.
Despite still searching for their first World Cup win, Canada will start as favourites. Forward Jonathan David, the nation's all-time leading scorer, will be keen to make a greater impact after substitute Cyle Larin struck in the opener.
The fitness of captain and left-back Alphonso Davies remains a concern for Canada due to a hamstring problem, leaving coach Jesse Marsch with a key selection decision.
Defender Joel Waterman will also hope to feature. He remained on the bench in the opening match, but a game in his home city would carry special significance.
For Qatar, the pursuit of World Cup credibility has been difficult. The team entered this tournament without a win in six matches across the 1986 and 2022 editions.
However, they have already improved on their 2022 campaign - when they finished bottom without a point - and now have an opportunity to build momentum with another positive result.
"The group is wide open," Waterman told reporters. "We want to top the group. The focus has never changed for us.
"It's a big game on Thursday to beat Qatar and then we've got to try and beat Switzerland as well. We're going to try and pick up the six points and go on to the next round."
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Vancouver; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
