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Lebanon will welcome Syria to the Saida Municipal Stadium for a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
The hosts currently sit in fourth place in Group A of the AFC section and still have a shot at making the playoff ahead of the United Arab Emirates, who sit in third spot.
Syria are at the bottom of the table, having garnered two points from eight matches and have been eliminated from the running for Qatar 2022.
Lebanon come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Iraq on home turf in a qualifier in November 2021. First-half goals from Ayman Hussein and Maher Sabra saw the spoils shared.
Syria fell to a 2-0 'home' defeat against South Korea. Kim Jin-Su and Kwon Chang-Hoon scored second-half goals to help their side leave with all three points.
Lebanon vs Syria Head-to-Head
The two sides have clashed on 25 occasions in the past and Syria have a vastly superior record with 14 wins to their name. Five games have ended in victory for Lebanon, while six matches ended in a share of the spoils.
Their most recent meeting came in October 2021. Mohamad Kdouh's first-half brace helped Lebanon claim a 3-2 comeback victory in the first leg.
Lebanon form guide: D-L-W-L-L
Syria form guide: L-L-L-W-L
Lebanon vs Syria Team News
Lebanon
Hassan Maatouk and Bassel Jradi withdrew from the squad injured and their spots in the team were taken by Mohammad Nasser and Karim Darwich
Injuries: Hassan Maatouk, Bassel Jradi
Suspension: None
Syria
Coach Ghassan Maatouk called up 25 players to dispute the qualifiers against Lebanon and Iraq.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Lebanon vs Syria Predicted XI
Lebanon Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ali Sabeh (GK); Abbas Assi, Nour Mansour, Mohamad Zein Tahan, Joan Oumari; Nader Matar, Mahdi Zein, Mohamad Haidar; Hilal El-Helwe, Mohamad Kdouh, Rabih Ataya
Syria Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ibrahim Alma (GK); Moayad Ajan, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed; Mahmoud Al-Mawas, Mohammad Marmour, Kamel Hmeisheh; Mardik Mardikian, Alaa Al Dali, Molham Babouli
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Lebanon vs Syria Prediction
Syria have nothing left to play for in the qualifiers and this means they might not have the extra motivation to go all out for the win.
Lebanon, by contrast, still have a shot at extending their hopes of qualifying for a maiden FIFA World Cup. They also have home advantage in their favor and we are backing the hosts to secure a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Lebanon 2-0 Syria
