(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Published: Mon 9 Sep 2024, 3:52 PM
Last updated: Mon 9 Sep 2024, 3:53 PM
The UAE will look for a second straight win in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers third round when they face their Group A opponents Iran on Tuesday,
Having produced an amazing fightback to defeat Qatar 3-1 in their opening match in Doha last Thursday, the UAE will be brimming with confidence for the clash against Iran at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
Iran will go into the contest on the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan in their opening match on Thursday.
UAE jubilantly celebrated their victory against Qatar and they had every right to do as it was their first win against their West Asian rivals since 2015.
Victory was achieved with three second half goals as head coach Paulo Bento's side showed they have the ability to respond to different situations.
Bento, who guided South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, will expect a similar performance against Iran.
"We are not geniuses when we turn around a result like that. We are not failures when we lose the game either. We are simple people who try to win in football. We try to bring the players the best possible tools to win a game,” said Bento.
Iran, seeking a fourth consecutive appearance the Fifa World Cup and seventh overall, did just enough to get the points against Kyrgyzstan with head coach Amir Ghalenoei admitting he expects to see an improved performance against the UAE.
“We could have scored five or six but our offensive substitutions didn't quite work out. We will try to show better quality in the next game.”
Iran will head into the clash with the statistics very much in their favour, having only lost once to UAE with their most recent meeting at the 2023 Asian Cup ending 2-1 in their favour.
Asia has eight direct slots for the next Fifa World Cup which will be a 48-team tournament.
Eighteen teams have been divided into three groups of six each in the third round of the Asian qualifiers.
The UAE have been drawn in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait will compete in Group B while Group C features Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will then compete in the six-team fourth round of qualifiers.
The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three teams. The winners of each group will earn the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up teams will be locked in a playoff battle.
The winner of the Asian playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.
The UAE haven't qualified for the World Cup since their maiden appearance at the global showpiece in 1990.
Meanwhile, Bahrain and Japan will aim to gain early control of Group C when they meet at Bahrain National Stadium on Tuesday.
Both recorded opening round wins on Thursday, Bahrain stunning Australia 1-0 while Japan were magnificent in a 7-0 victory against China.
While Dragan Talajic guided Bahrain to a historic first-ever win against Australia, the West Asian side have defeated Japan twice in 13 previous meetings.
Grit and determination played a pivotal role in Thursday's win and Talajic warned that Bahrain will need to show more of that if Fifa World Cup qualification is to be secured for the first time.
"We have to forget it (win against Australia) and move on.
"This is a marathon, we have another nine games. we will see what happens at the end but we will fight."
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu is unlikely to tinker much with his starting lineup after the fabulous performance against China PR which saw six players get on the scoresheet.
Starters Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma (2), Takumi Minamino and Takefusa Kubo scored while Daizen Maeda and Junya Ito came off the bench to find the back of the net as Japan began their bid for an eighth consecutive appearance at the World Cup in style.
Despite the huge win, Moriyasu will warn his players not to underestimate Bahrain, with the Samurai Blue also having suffered a 1-0 loss to Oman in their opening Asian qualifiers match for the 2022 edition.
“The win in today's match doesn't guarantee that we will qualify or mean anything before the Bahrain game,” said Moriyasu.“We should not forget to prepare at our best going into the remaining matches.
“(The Australia-Bahrain) result confirms how difficult the first match in these Asian qualifiers can be and we should never feel relaxed. That's how I feel."
Kuwait will have their work cut out for them when they meet a buoyant Iraq in Group B tie on Tuesday.
Kuwait secured a crucial point in a 1-1 draw against Jordan, while Iraq edged Oman 1-0 on Thursday.
Kuwait fell behind after 14 minutes to Moussa Al Tamari's opener but took advantage of the France-based striker's injury in the second half with Al Sulaiman equalising from the spot two minutes into time added on.
While the draw was a morale booster, head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi knows his team will need to work harder against Iraq at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium as Kuwait bid to seal a place in the Fifa World Cup for the second time in their history.
With Iraq on a high after opening their campaign with a victory, Kuwait will have to maximise home ground advantage to stop their West Asian rivals at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium.
It will be the teams' first competitive meeting in a decade but Kuwait lost their two most recent encounters against their West Asian rival - going down 2-1 and 1-0 in international friendlies.
There was, however, a blow for Iraq in their opener with head coach Jesus Casas likely to be without goal-scorer Ayman Hussein, who required hospitalisation after suffering an injury against Oman while fatigue might also be an issue.
“We have four days left before the match against Kuwait and they are not enough to help the players with the physical factor, but we have 26 players and alternatives to compensate for those who are exhausted,” said Casas, who is looking to steer Iraq to the Fifa World Cup for only the second time.
In the possible absence of Hussein, the Spanish tactician will have to rely on forward Mohanad Ali while Ali Jasim is another outlet for goals. (With inputs from AFC)
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