Abu Dhabi: The UAE senior national football team will face Laos on Saturday in a friendly at their external training camp in China preparing for their crucial match against Hong Kong on October 15 in the qualifiers of the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.
The UAE lead Group E with six points from two matches while Hong Kong are second with four, Uzbekistan third with a single point while Vietnam are yet to pick up any points.
The UAE defeated both Vietnam and Uzbekistan with identical 2-1 margins while Hong Kong forced a goalless tie with the Uzbeks and defeated Vietnam with a single goal.
Mahdi Ali, the UAE head coach, took his players for a camp in China after the third week of the domestic Arab Gulf League earlier this week. The team has settled in the training camp where they will face Laos and then Malaysia on October 9.
A win against Hong Kong on October 15 in the last match of the first round of the qualifiers will all but seal them a berth in the Asian Cup finals in Australia, while the UAE will host them on November 15 in the opening match of the second round.
“It is of great importance that win the upcoming qualifier,” Ali said before leaving for China. “Hong Kong has improved and their place in the standing is a proof of their progress.”
Captain Esmail Mattar returned to the line up after recovering from an injury that prevented him from featuring in the line-up for the friendly Tournament in Saudi Arabia last month while custodian Majid Nasir and defenders Abdullah Moussa and Abdul Aziz Sangoor did not accompany the team because of injuries.
Ali called up Ahmad Mahmoud, the Al Wasl custodian and defenders Khalid Abdul Rahman from Al Ain and Suhail Al Mansouri from Al Wahda to replace the injured players.
