Can the UAE keep their World Cup ambitions alive?

By the time the UAE kick off their World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Riyadh this evening, Paulo Bento’s men could find themselves out of contention for the second automatic spot in Group A.

However, the Whites could also find themselves within just three points of Uzbekistan with two games to play should the evening play out in their favour.

All eyes will be on Iran v Uzbekistan in the at 8pm GST, where an Uzbekistan defeat will open up the door once again for the UAE after hopes faded of securing a spot into the finals through the third round of qualification following Thursday’s defeat to Iran.

Team Melli only need a point to confirm a fourth consecutive appearance at the World Cup while victory for Uzbekistan will see them draw level on 19 points with Iran, which would effectively see both teams qualify barring a monumental collapse in June.

Amir Ghalenoei's side have hardly put a foot wrong in what has been a serene qualifying campaign with Iran only dropping points in a goalless draw with Uzbekistan when the sides met in October.

Should they taste victory for the seventh time this campaign on Tuesday evening, the gap between the UAE in third and Uzbekistan in second will remain at six points ahead of the UAE’s kick off against North Korea at 16:15GST.

It will be an opportunity Bento’ side will have to grab with both hands if they are to make only their second World Cup finals in their history.

However, improvement is essential - the UAE’s last outing against North Korea ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium against a side ranked outside FIFA’s top 100.

A repeat of that lacklustre display would almost certainly leave UAE needing to progress through the fourth qualifying round, regardless of whether Uzbekistan lose on Tuesday or not.

If Bento’s side can recapture the brilliance of their historic 5-0 demolition of Qatar last November and deliver a performance that truly makes a statement, they could close the gap to just three points behind Uzbekistan - provided the Central Asian side falters tonight - with only two matches left in Group A.

On June 5, the UAE host Uzbekistan in what could be a decisive showdown, before traveling to Kyrgyzstan - whom they beat 3-0 in the reverse fixture - the following week. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, will wrap up their campaign at home against Qatar, a team that has bested them in their last two meetings.

The UAE are teetering on the brink of needing the fourth qualifying round to keep their World Cup dream alive. But while their chances appear slim now, a favourable series of results on Tuesday could breathe new life into their third round campaign.