Abu Dhabi: The UAE head coach Mahdi Ali has named a 24-man squad ahead of the Whites’ games against East Timor and Malaysia in the 2018 Fifa World Cup/ 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
The squad features the return of Al Shabab striker Dawood Ali, Al Ain defender Mohammed Faiz, Al Nasr midfielder Mahmoud Khamis and Al Wahda midfielder Amer Omer.
The Whites will gather on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, where they will take on Turkmenistan in a friendly on November 5 before they face East Timor at home on November 12. They will then head to Kuala Lumpur to play Malaysia on November 17.
Al Ahli players will reunited with the team on November 8 following their home clash against Guangzhou on November 7 in the two-legged Asian Champions League final. The UAE are currently second in Asian Zone Group A on seven points, five behind leaders Saudi Arabia, after two wins, a draw and a defeat.
Fixture amendments
Meanwhile, the Pro League Committee has announced amendments to the 2015-16 season fixture schedule on its website following the confirmation that the Gulf Cup — previously scheduled to take place from December 22, 2015 until January 4, 2016 in Kuwait — has been cancelled.
After holding a coordination meeting with the UAE Football Association on Sunday (October 25), during which it was decided to take advantage of the additional time in the calendar freed up by the cancellation of the Gulf Cup, the fixtures has been amended in order to facilitate the scheduling of the majority of matches at weekends.
Adequate preparation periods for clubs participating in the AFC Champions League and GCC Club Cup competitions from February 2016 have also been factored in. The fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of the Arabian Gulf Cup will now be held on November 4-5, 9-10 and 16-17, the statement added.
