Mahdi Ali backing UAE to rise to the occasion against Saudi

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  • Hosts: Saudi Arabia.

    The UAE have got what it takes to survive the red-hot atmosphere guaranteed for Thursday night’s vital 2018 World Cup qualifier in Saudi Arabia, according to fearless boss Mahdi Ali.

    The Whites will face the defining test of their AFC second-round campaign when they enter Jeddah’s daunting 62,241-capacity King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

    The match pits the first-placed hosts against the second-placed visitors, only the Group A-winners guaranteed progression to the next stage.

    Ali’s men suffered crushing 2014 Gulf Cup semi-final disappointment when they last stepped on Saudi soil, winger Salem Al Dawsari securing a late 3-2 triumph in November.

    But the 50-year-old Ali is convinced his maturing troops possess the mettle to leave the Kingdom in contention for top spot against opponents they haven’t defeated since January 2007.

    He said: “We are not afraid to meet any team and are used to playing in front of more than 70,000 spectators. I’ve never beaten Saudi Arabia as coach of the UAE, but we were unlucky the last time.

    “History may not be in our favour, but it is about the effort throughout the entire 90 minutes – not what has happened in the past. “We achieved all our objectives during the recent training camp in Doha and that will be reflected in our performance.”

    The Green Falcons have been rejuvenated since ex-Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk’s August arrival. The 3-0 victory awarded by FIFA after their last fixture in Malaysia was abandoned because of crowd trouble continued his fine start, further banishing memories of January’s embarrassing groupstage exit in the Asian Cup.

    The UAE finished a fine third in that tournament, a situation which has elevated them 18 places above their hosts in the global rankings. Thanks to his stellar managerial career, the Green Falcons supremo unsurprisingly paid little attention to the statistic.

    “Saudi Araba are ready to face the UAE,” Van Marwijk said. “I studied them and we know the seriousness of Omar Abdulrahman’s threat.

    “He is the most dangerous player in the team. But there is another group of outstanding players, and we must be aware of the speed of Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout.

    “The UAE team are superior in the classification of FIFA, but that does not mean they are superior to Saudi Arabia.”

    Defensive midfielder Khamis Esmail and left-back Walid Abbas will be absent through injury, denying the Whites two key players as they hunt only a second-ever qualification to the globe’s premier international competition.

    “We have no difference between the first choice or second choice,” Ali countered. “Our confidence is great and any player who makes the starting line-up will fight to achieve the best performance possible.”

    The UAE dropped their first points last month, playing out a historic goalless draw which marked the first time Palestine had hosted a fellow Arabic nation for a competitive match in the West Bank.

    Saudi Arabia are reluctant to follow suit, a meeting on Tuesday between FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the presidents of the two federations ending in deadlock.

    This has seen next Tuesday’s qualifier against the Lions of Canaan postponed “until the ongoing process has been concluded”, said a statement released on Wednesday.

    The disputed match was originally meant to be played in Palestine in June. But the Saudis successfully requested to have the order of the Group A meetings between them reversed, going on to claim a rollercoaster 3-2 win in Dammam. 

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