As the nation waits with bated breath, anticipating a World Cup berth after a gap of 35 years, Cosmin Olaroiu will hope to find the perfect formula to dismantle Qatar and take The Whites to the pinnacle of the beautiful game.

But for the master tactician from Romania, playing beautiful football is not the top priority. The collective goal is to avoid defeat and make history.

The UAE only need a draw in the last Group A game of the fourth round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers against hosts Qatar to earn a direct berth at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

For Qatar, the two-time defending Asian champion, it's a must-win game which will get underway at 9 pm UAE Time at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Anything other than a victory will send the Qataris to the complicated play-off rounds.

Home advantage

After an insipid display in a goalless opening game against Oman, the 2022 World Cup hosts will be eager to bounce back in Doha.

They have the advantage of playing at home. The 15,000-capacity Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium will be dominated by Qatar fans as the travelling supporters have been allocated only eight per cent of the seats.

Expect an electric atmosphere at the stadium as the home team will be spurred on by their supporters to attack from the start.

Can the UAE weather the storm and avoid conceding an early goal in what promises to be a riveting battle for a place in the World Cup?

Oman put them under incredible pressure on Saturday after taking an early lead.

But backed by their passionate supporters who outnumbered the Omani fans and a tactical masterclass from Olaroiu, the UAE fought back to clinch a 2-1 victory and move a step closer to the World Cup.

The thrilling win put the UAE in the driver's seat. But Tuesday will be the biggest challenge in Olaroiu's impressive coaching career.

Having been entrusted with the responsibility of ending the UAE's World Cup heartbreaks, Olaroiu now needs to inspire his men to produce another solid performance just 72 hours after the engrossing contest against Oman.

Qatar, on the other hand, enjoyed a five-day gap between their first and second matches.

But Olaroiu said his team is ready to leave everything on the field.

“The players have the will to play. They want to play, so they will find the reserves to recover and play with full energy tomorrow. I'm sure about this,” the 56-year-old told reporters in Doha on Monday.

“They will try their best. They believe, always, and I expect tomorrow they will do it again. Of course, it's a very short period and it's very difficult, but we have to face it, and we cannot complain about this.”

Attack or defend?

But more than the punishing schedule, Olaroiu's biggest challenge will be to find the balance between defence and attack.

Will he allow his team to sit back and close the spaces to protect their two-point advantage over Qatar?

Such strategies can often backfire in do-or-die games. But it's for moments like these that Olaroiu was brought in as the UAE coach in April this year.

“We are prepared, and we must learn to survive in this situation,” he said.

“We have to be able to pass any moment, any difficulty, any pressure from the supporters, the referee. We are focused only on the way that we play and the target that we have.”

Not impossible

Goalkeeper Khalid Eissa, who was outstanding in the match against Oman, producing a couple of incredible saves in 12 nerve-racking minutes of injury time, remains confident of the UAE crossing the final hurdle.

“The mission is difficult, but not impossible,” Eissa said.

The UAE will also draw inspiration from their last two games against Qatar, when they beat their Gulf neighbours 3-1 at Doha and 5-0 at Abu Dhabi in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers last year.

But now with a World Cup place at stake, Eissa knows it will be a different ballgame on Tuesday.

“We've taken the first step (against Oman), but the next one will be even tougher,” he said.

“Qatar will be very strong at home, especially with the support of their fans. But we know how to manage such situations.”

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