Team UAE aim to keep 2026 Fifa World Cup dream alive
The UAE will look to earn three points when they face Uzbekistan in a crunch Fifa World Cup qualifier on Thursday (kick off 8 pm UAE Time).
Timur Kapadze's Uzbekistan only need to avoid defeat against UAE to join Iran at next year's global extravaganza in the US, Canada and Mexico.
UAE, however, will go into the tie at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi determined to - at the very least - delay Uzbekistan's celebrations, while trying to keep their own hopes alive.
Seeking a second appearance at the Fifa World Cup, UAE still have an outside chance of securing an automatic ticket and will have Romanian tactician Cosmin Olariu leading them for the first time.
They sit on 13 points, four behind Uzbekistan but with just two matches remaining, their fate is out of their hands but Olariu has vowed they will do their best to keep their dream of automatic qualification alive.
Stopping history-seeking Uzbekistan won't be easy, with the White Wolves having suffered defeat only once in their qualifying campaign.
The players, said defender Rustam Ashurmatov, are determined to realise the dreams of their nation.
"We give our all in every match. We go to the field only to win. I think our team is capable of this - we will win," said Ashurmatov to local media.
Meanwhile, Australia's Milos Degenek said he has been impressing on younger teammates how tough it is to get to the World Cup through intercontinental playoffs as they prepare for their last two matches in the third round of Asian qualifying.
A first win over Japan in 16 years in Perth on Thursday would put Australia well on their way to the finals in North America in 2026, but will not get them over the line if Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain in a later match.
The Socceroos have a three-point edge and a healthy goal difference advantage over the Saudis, their main rivals for second place in Group C and their opponents in their final qualifier in Jeddah next Tuesday.
The expansion of the World Cup means Australia still have room for error but Degenek, a veteran of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns that were secured by playoff wins over Honduras and Peru, is loathe to take any chances.
"It's never easy when you go to those knockout games (and) it's a lot easier if you qualify through the group stage directly," the former Red Star Belgrade defender told reporters in Perth this week.
"It's been hammered home and I think the boys ... are well aware of the situation, that there are two games that are separating us from going to a World Cup."
If Australia do beat the Samurai Blue on Thursday, they still face a long wait to find out if they have secured a berth at a sixth straight World Cup finals.
The Saudis kick off in Bahrain some five hours after Australia and Japan, potentially leaving the Socceroos players on tenterhooks well into the early hours of Friday morning.
"If we do get the win, hopefully we will, we are obviously almost there," Degenek added.
"The most important thing is that we win. We can obviously be happy inside and celebrate a little bit, but nothing too major because if Saudi win against Bahrain ... we'll still have to go there and get a result."
With Japan already qualified, Hajime Moriyasu has rested several of his best players and brought in a handful of uncapped youngsters for Thursday's game.
Degenek, who played club football in Japan for Yokohama F. Marinos, did not think that would make Australia's task any easier. "I think it's even harder for us that those so-called stars are out, because the boys that are coming in ... are going to want to prove to the boss that they should be there at the World Cup," he said. "So it's not going to be a walk in the park, and they're going to take this as serious, if not more serious, than any other game." (with inputs from AFC)
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