This is not the best time to just spend too much energy thinking about the World Cup and the game against Qatar but of course, on the pitch they need to be able to take all those decisions.
The UAE national football team will take on Qatar tomorrow, Tuesday, at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi in the Asian World Cup qualifiers.
The match will take place at 8pm UAE time.
Both teams revived their respective campaigns with wins on Thursday and will seek another three points to stay within sight of Iran and Uzbekistan in the race to seal the two automatic qualifying slots.
Having started their campaign with a stunning win over Qatar in their opening game, UAE had to wait till Matchday Five for a second victory.
Head coach Paulo Bento will hope his team have turned the corner and can embark on a run that seals them automatic qualification to the global showpiece for just the second time in their history.
“We don’t have to think too much of the upcoming game against Qatar, but it’s important we rest now, allow the players to recover as much as possible, then begin our preparations,” Bento said after the 3-0 win against Kyrgyzstan on Thursday.
While the top two finishers in each group qualify automatically, the third and fourth placed teams will advance to a playoff where another two berths will be at stake.
“There is more than one way to reach the World Cup and we need to try as much as we can to go all the way to be there,” said Bento, who previously guided his native Portugal and Korea Republic at the Finals.
“This is not the best time to just spend too much energy thinking about the World Cup and the game against Qatar but of course, on the pitch they need to be able to take all those decisions.”
Lucas Mendes’ goal deep into added time secured Qatar a 3-2 win against Uzbekistan on Thursday and head coach Marquez Lopez will hope the thrilling win will steer his side past UAE, who won the reverse fixture 3-1 in September.
Seeking to qualify for the World Cup on merit for the first time, back-to-back AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar have found the AFC Asian Qualifiers difficult to navigate but Lopez believes Thursday’s win will motivate his squad against a UAE side who have won five of their previous eight meetings.
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.
