CANBERRA, Australia — For a few years now, there has been talk in the United Arab Emirates, and whispers throughout the rest of Asia, that the national team has a bunch of players worth talking about.
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Ahead of their opening game of the 2015 Asian Cup against Qatar in Canberra on Sunday, national team coach Ali Mahdi challenged his stars to prove their worth after billing them as part of the best squad that the country has ever sent to the continental tournament.
Speaking on Saturday morning, at a wet Canberra Stadium, Ali called upon the likes of Omar Abdulrahman, one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Asia, and Ali Mabkhout, the top scorer at the recent Gulf Cup, to shine on the continent’s biggest stage.
“We have invested in these players for a long time for such a competition,” Ali, sporting a red cap and a smile as he happily answered all questions, told a press conference. “We are in a good condition and have been for two or three years. In my opinion, this is the best squad that the UAE can select at this moment and the best squad that the UAE has sent to this competition.”
“We announced two years ago that we wanted to reach the semi-finals of the competition. So let’s aim for that, try to reach it, and then see from there what we can do.”
Some, if not all, questions will be answered against Qatar, another Middle Eastern team that has, if everything goes well, the potential to impress in Australia.
For UAE, the key player is likely to be Mabkhout. The Al Jazira man is in excellent form for his country and finished the Gulf Cup as top scorer. The 25 year-old is looking forward to teaming up once again with Abdulrahman, the Al Ain playmaker and one of Asia’s hottest properties.
“All the team has a good relationship but with Omar, we are like brothers,” the 25 year-old said. “I hope that this will help us in this game and in future games also. We know Qatar well and we are ready.”
The coach believes that the striker has what it takes to play in the big leagues.
“We have many talented players that they deserve to play in Europe and I will happy to see them playing there. It will give them more experience, better experience and help them as they play for the country.”
Just arrived in Canberra.UAE coach Mahdi Ali is talking of reaching Asian Cup semis. 1st-fascinating clash with Qatar
— John Duerden (@JohnnyDuerden) January 10, 2015
Ali gave his squad a clean bill of health as they seek to recover their tournament pride following November’s Gulf Cup semi-final exit to Saudi Arabia, who went on to lose to Qatar in the final.
After Qatar, UAE must take on Bahrain and Iran in a group that looks wide open. Finishing in top spot would also be welcome given the fact that defending champions Japan are likely to be lying in wait for Group C’s second-placed team.
First though, comes an in-form Qatar, unbeaten in 11 games. That run has seen Djamel Belmadi lead the Maroons to the Gulf Cup title and the coach – delighted with the team’s form – is happy to welcome his star player Khalfan Ibrahim, who missed November’s triumph through injury, back into the team.
“He is a key player, a major player of our team,” said the Algerian, appointed last February. “We missed his talent at the Gulf Cup. He’s happy to join the team especially and we are happy to have him back. [He can be a star of the tournament] in the right condition after coming back from injuries. I hope he can reach his potential.”
Belmadi also praised his opposite number.
“Mahdi Ali has been working with the UAE team for a long time, he won the 2013 Gulf Cup and helped the side qualify for the 2012 Olympics, he is doing an amazing job with their team and he has done a massive job for his country.”
That may have been music to Ali’s ears as he refuted suggestions that he was under pressure going into this tournament.
“’It is not pressure, pressure is part of this game and we are used to it. Before I was coach for the UAE, I was a citizen of the country and this is my country and all my wishes and effort is towards achieving that. We will do our best to represent our country in this big event to reflect all the changes and the improvement that have happened in the UAE and sport is one of these areas.”
His team will get a chance to prove that on Sunday. After three 1-0 results on Saturday, the continent will be looking to UAE to inject some flair into the 2015 Asian Cup.
LIKELY UAE XI: (4-2-3-1) Majed Nasser; Walid Abbas, Mohamed Ahmed, Mohamed Salem, Abdulaziz Sanquor, Habib Fardan, Amer Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ali Mabkhout, Ahmed Khalil
LIKELY QATAR XI: (4-2-3-1) Qasim Burhan, Mohammed Musa, Ibrahim Majid, Bilal Mohammed, Abdelkarim Hassan, Karim Boudiaf, Ahmed Abdul Maqsoud, Hassan Al Haidos, Khalfan Ibrahim, Ismaeel Mohammad, Mohammed Muntari
