UAE face Japan in World Cup 2018 qualifier

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  • The sold-out Saitama Stadium 2002 is set to host an intriguing clash as the year-long quest to reach Russia gets under way.

    Facing them are regional heavyweights, who could be stung further into action by January 2015’s shock penalty-shootout loss as holders in the 2015 Asian Cup’s quarter-finals to this afternoon’s opponents.

    Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Ali refused to become preoccupied by the previous encounter and instead declared the ‘Golden Generation’ at his disposal are determined to grasp this opportunity to secure their nation’s second-ever entrance into football’s greatest event.

    “We know that it was a very sad moment for the Japanese team at the Asian Cup, and we know they will do all their best to win this game,” he said. “But it’s a game for us and we’ll do our best, regardless of what happened in the past.

    “We are not here to speak about revenge or whatever. We are here to play our best, fighting for our dream. We have a big dream, which was with us for a long time and it’s getting bigger and bigger.

    “We will fight for 90 minutes, for all these years of preparation for this moment. We know this is maybe the last chance for many players in the team to play in a World Cup, maybe they’ll not have the chance to play in 2022 – I don’t think the players will let it go.”

    Contenders-For-Russia
    The UAE have built up to this formidable Group B-opener for much of the last two months at training camps in Spain, Dubai and Shanghai. But Japan’s preparations have not been as encompassing.

    Coach Vahid Halilhodzic took charge for June 7’s 2-1 Kirin Cup final defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 13 members of his squad based in Europe – headlined by Borussia Dortmund playmaker Shinji Kagawa and Leicester City forward Shinji Okazaki – have also trickled into the training camp during the last few days.

    Yet they boast home advantage in front of 63,700 mostly-partisan supporters, plus the inner confidence gained from five-successive entries to the World Cup.

    “We have competed with the UAE before and the results so far are very even,” said coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who counts Paris Saint-Germain among his ex-employers.

    “Even though we have a lot of issues, we’ve been training well and this is a very important game. The UAE have prepared for two months and we’ve had two days to prepare, but it doesn’t mean we’re not as ambitious as they are.”

    The UAE are next in action on Tuesday as Asian Cup winners Australia head to Abu Dhabi.

    Only the top two from Group B are guaranteed to make Russia, with the third-placed sides from each section meeting to earn a spot in the inter-confederation play-off.

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