Abu Dhabi: Up-and-coming young talents’ presence in the UAE squad for this weekend’s King’s Cup in Thailand is an exciting challenge for Mahdi Ali’s squad, which bodes well for the 2018 World Cup final qualifiers.
That’s the view of Salem Saleh, the Al Nasr striker, who is hoping to prove his worth in the absence of the UAE’s established names in Bangkok, which will play host to a four-team friendly tournament featuring Thailand, the UAE, Jordan and Syria between June 3-5.
The UAE coach, Mahdi Ali, has chosen to rest the vast majority of his first-team regulars for the competition – his side face Jordan at 2pm UAE time on Friday ahead of a semi-final or final on Sunday against the winner or loser of the Thailand-Syria clash.
This has handed a golden opportunity to the likes of 25-year-old Saleh, who has scored five times in 11 appearances for his country, to lay claim to a starting spot in the Whites’ eleven for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.
“The presence of a large group of young talents in the first team participating in an international friendly tournament is an exciting challenge for us as players,” Saleh said.
The UAE will face the reigning Asian champions Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Thailand in the third and final qualification round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia from September, which lasts a year.
“These games require the readiness of all players, especially as we will play two legs [against each opponent], which will be long and arduous,” Saleh added.
Meanwhile, Al Wahda central defender, Hamdan Kamali, is set to make his first appearance for the national team since suffering an injury in the 2-1 home friendly defeat of Iceland in January.
“I thank God that I can return to the national team and face this challenge again,” the 27-year-old said. “The younger players who have joined the team for the first time will have a significant impact on the future of the team due to their high level of technique.”
The UAE will be without five injured players for the game against Jordan at the Rajamangala National Stadium, including the Al Nasr midfielder, Mahmoud Khamis.
The Whites lie 14 places above their opponents at 68 in the Fifa rankings, with Jordan’s hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup ending in March under the guidance of temporary coach, Harry Redknapp.
This followed a 5-1 thrashing away to Australia in their final match in Group B, in which Jordan finished as runners-up.
