Abu Dhabi: UAE coach Bruno Metsu has invited Al Shabab's custodian Esmail Rabie to join the team's training camp replacing injured first choice goalkeeper Majid Nasir.
The UAE are preparing for their second leg match against Vietnam on Sunday at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium here in the Asian qualifiers of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
The UAE won the first leg in Hanoi with a single goal scored by Basheer Saeed.
The squad is complete after Al Jazira's and Al Wahda's players joined the camp following the end of their participation with their clubs in the GCC Clubs Championship and the Asian Champions League, respectively.
Metsu has not included captain Abdul Rahim Jumaa and the striker Faisal Khalil despite proving their full recovery playing with Al Wahda and Al Ahli this week in the domestic and continental competitions.
Both players have missed the first leg.
Meanwhile, Rashid Abdul Rahman confirmed that he is fit again to defend the back lines of the team following his excellent performance with Al Jazira against Al Nasr from Oman on Monday.
"I feel fantastic and I assure everyone that I am 100 per cent fit and raring to play against Vietnam if the coach selects me," Rashid told Gulf News yesterday.
Rashid spoke of his disappointment at colleague Hilal Saeed expressing his intention to retire from international football.
"Hilal is one of the best midfielders in the country and still has many years to give.
"I cannot imagine the team without him," Rashid said.
The Vietnamese team, led by head coach Austrian Alfred Riedl, will arrive today and will train at Bani Yas stadium today and at the venue of the match tomorrow, Saturday, at 6pm.
