Abu Dhabi: UAE will be taking on minnows Laos in Kuala Lumpur in a friendly on Wednesday after their week-long training camp at Kuala Lumpur in what would be the first game under new Argentine coach Edgardo Bauza, named as Mahdi Ali’s successor last month.
UAE’s 2018 Russia World Cup dreams are dim but they still have a slim chance of qualifying if they can make the most of the remaining three matches against Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. They are currently placed fourth in Group B with nine points from seven matches behind Australia, who have 13 points. Japan and Saudi Arabia are tied at 16 points each at the top.
It is a must-win situation as only the top two teams advance to Russia and the third-placed teams in Group A and B end up playing a two-legged play-off.
UAE, who are looking to make it to the second World Cup since their debut in 1990, is scheduled to take on Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on June 13.
Though Laos has very little reputation, this hurriedly put together match after Lebanon tie got cancelled, is a vital match practice for the team.
Speaking about the Laos clash, team supervisor Abdullah Saleh said that the technical staff wanted to ‘play against opponent whose style of play is closer to Thailand’, and identify points of strength and weakness.
Team Manager Obaid Hbaita was upbeat about UAE’s chances of proceeding further in the stadium saying, “We are fully aware that the mission of the White is difficult and the contest is intense, but still there is a chance and we decided to face all challenges.”
Al Wahda medio Tarek Ahmad, who had been picked by Bauza following his impressive performance in seeing the Clarets to title in the season-ending President’s Cup thrashing Al Nasr 3-0, was upbeat of UAE putting up a good show.
“This will be my international debut as I have not been called up for any national team tournaments before, so this is my big dream. I wish to represent UAE in a great manner,” asserted Ahmad adding that the entire team was upbeat and are fine tuning things as per coach Bauza’s advise.
“Bauza is trying to demonstrate his technical vision and address some issues through theoretical sessions and remarks. The mood in the camp is good,” revealed Ahmad.
Meanwhile, UAE also continued to hold on to their top position as Asia’s leading nation in the latest Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Club Competitions rankings.
UAE lead the way with 95.428 points, followed by Republic of Korea on second with 89.128 and Qatar occupying third spot with 82.977 points. The top three positions have remain unaltered from last month and that has a lot to do with the way Al Ain has performed in the AFC Champions League and with the UAE national team being in the fray in qualification battle for the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
