UAE remain upbeat as battle for Fifa World Cup berth continues
The UAE will be aiming to lock down third spot when they travel to face Kyrgyzstan in their final Group A World Cup qualifying match (5:45 pm UAE Time) on Tuesday.
Thursday's goalless draw with Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi ended UAE's hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup and they side sit only a point ahead of Qatar, with both having sealed their places in the fourth round.
Cosmin Olaroiu would have known before the tie against Uzbekistan that automatic qualification was going to be a long shot but the newly appointed head coach saw positives in the match and is already preparing for the next round.
"You have a once in a lifetime chance,' Olaroiu said. 'I don't think you should talk about motivation as much as preparation. That is the most important thing. Now is the end of the season, we have a break, then the clubs will start their preparations.
'In September, there is (an international) break and we will have some friendly games. The preparation is very, very important because the work the clubs will do now will influence it.'
So can the UAE still earn an automatic berth at the 2026 World Cup?
Yes, the UAE still have a chance. The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three teams. The winners of each group will earn the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up teams will be locked in a playoff battle.
So the UAE need to win their group in the fourth round to qualify directly for the World Cup.
But if they fail to win their group and finish second, they will play the runners-up team from the other group in a playoff.
The winner of the playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line.
Tony Popovic's outfit go into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals.
Despite that advantage, Metcalfe has sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat.
"There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can," said the St. Pauli midfielder.
"You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you."
Australia hold a three point lead over Herve Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries.
Japan have already secured top spot in Group C while Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan have taken the other berths available to Asian nations at the expanded World Cup from the third phase of qualifying.
A further two spots will be up for grabs from a fourth round of qualifiers to be played in October.
Anything other than a significant win over the Australians would see Saudi Arabia finish third in Group C and enter that next phase, where they would join the UAE, Qatar, Iraq and Indonesia.
Also battling for a place in the fourth round are Oman and Palestine, with the pair looking to secure either third or fourth place in Group B on Tuesday.
The two countries face off against each other in Amman with the Palestinians needing to win to climb above Rashid Jaber's side and keep their World Cup qualification dream alive.
Neither nation has played at the World Cup and Palestine go into the meeting having handed Kuwait a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to stay in the hunt for a spot in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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