(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The players are reportedly training hard under the supervision of the head coach Mahdi Ali at a neighbouring facility in Linz.The UAE senior football national team take on the Serie A side Udinese in a friendly during their current Austrian tour on Thursday before they face Norway Lithuania and Paraguay.
The players are reportedly training hard under the supervision of the head coach Mahdi Ali at a neighbouring facility in Linz. All the players took part in Sunday night’s workout with the exception of skipper Ismail Matar and defender Mohammed Jaber who have been subjected to a special programme and training individually.
The other players are: Ali Khusaif Khamis Ismail Ali Mabkhout Essa Ahmed Ahmed Dada Amir Abdul Rahman Haboush Saleh Ahmed Ali Abdul Aziz Haikal Abdul Aziz Sanqoor Walid Abbas Majid Hassan Ismail Al Hammadi Ahmed Khalil Habib Fardan Mohammed Yousuf and Shahen Abdulla.
Meanwhile Rashid Ali Al Zaabi FA board member and deputy chairman of the national teams’ committee praised the efforts of the members of the administrative and technical staffs of the UAE national team under the leadership of the head coach engineer Mahdi Ali.
Al Zaabi said during his visit to the delegation on Sunday in the Austrian city of Linz where the Whites are preparing for the Arabian Gulf Cup to be held in the Saudi capital Riyadh and the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 next year:
“The UAE football association is looking forward for a positive appearance in the two tournaments. The Whites are the holders of the Gulf Cup in Bahrain and at the same time hoping to go further to the last spot in the AFC Asian Cup after having finished runners-up in the continental football extravaganza at home in 1996. This is the most challenging test for the UAE lads who have done a lot for the country’s football in the recent years. In 2006 they have won the GCC Juniors’ Cup and two years later they made history by claiming the AFC U-19 Cup in Dammam KSA 2008 and made it into the finals of the Fifa U-20 World Cup 2009 in Egypt. Two years ago they have captured the Gulf Cup in Bahrain 2012 Khaliji 21 and advanced to the finals of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 to show the way with with five wins and a draw.
Regarding the Gulf Cup draw (Khaliji 21) Al Zaabi said being drawn alongside Oman Kuwait and Iraq in Group-C is a real challenge for our boys. “They are four tough sides with vast experience weather in the Arabian Gulf competitions or elsewhere. There’s nothing easy in this group and all the four teams will have an uphill task before they advance to the last four of the championship” he said.
“But I’m confident that the squad would be ready for the challenge and the players will live up to the expectations just like in Bahrain” he added.
“I think the preparation plan is convincing and would keep the boys fine-tuned to get the job done” he concluded.
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