Abu Dhabi: The UAE national senior football team will leave for Tashkent on Monday to face Uzbekistan in their final qualifier of Group E for the 2015 Asian Cup finals in Australia.
The final day of the qualifiers on Wednesday will not change the standings but the UAE players are determined to win their final encounter in order to collect all 18 points at stake.
The team have finished their preparations after reporting last Thursday and the four debutants have showed signs of combining well with their more experienced colleagues. Head coach Mahdi Ali had invited Ahmad Khamis and Mohammad Yousuf from Sharjah, Bandar Al Ahbabi from Al Dhafra and Mohammad Nasir of Al Wasl to join the training camp after their strong performances in the domestic competitions this season.
“They caught the eyes of the coach during the local competition and deserved a break.” said Hassan Al Abdouli, the UAE assistant coach. “We always need more young players for the team and have never stopped looking for them.”
The UAE have already secured their berth in the finals in Australia after winning all five matches in the group so far against Vietnam, Hong Kong and the Uzbekistan. They have collected 15 points and are followed by Uzbekistan, who sealed second place with 10 points for a place in the finals. Hong Kong have only four points and Vietnam are yet to win their first.
“Mathematically, the match might not be important but for us in the team it is of great importance because it will increase the players’ confidence in their capabilities and keep up the winning momentum,” Al Abdouli said.
The team will be missing the services of two of the country’s leading players, captain Esmail Mattar, whom the coach left out, and Omar Abdul Rahman, who is injured.
