ABU DHABI // Mahdi Ali says the UAE national team must guard against complacency when they resume their 2018 World Cup qualification campaign at home to Malaysia on Thursday night.
The UAE kicked off their Group A bid in June with a 1-0 victory against East Timor, but face Malaysia and then travel to pool leaders Palestine in the next five days. Only the top team are guaranteed to progress to the next round.
Much is expected from the double-header, especially with Malaysia coming into the match without a win in their opening two fixtures. Last time out, they were defeated 6-0 in Kuala Lumpur by Palestine.
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However, Mahdi Ali has warned his UAE side not to underestimate their opponents at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, despite the fact Malaysia are ranked 168th in the world by Fifa – 98 places below the UAE.
“Nowadays there is no easy match in Asia or world football,” Mahdi Ali said. “All the national teams have improved the past three or four years.
“We have to respect Malaysia, think about what they’re doing and what they can do.
“They lost heavily to Palestine, but this is not an evaluation of how they will perform tomorrow. Malaysia played very well at some stages and so you cannot judge.”
The UAE defeated Myanmar 1-0 in a friendly in Abu Dhabi on Friday, but the squad has since been augmented by the Al Ahli players given special dispensation because of the club’s Asian Champions League commitments.
Mahdi Ali has a full squad available for selection, something he hopes to maintain ahead of next week’s trip to the West Bank.
“We are preparing for all scenarios in this game,” he said. “We know Malaysia have very good players and we have to focus only on this game. Only after that can we think about the other games.
“This is the future. Tomorrow’s game is important for us – we have to get the best out of our players. It’s an opportunity to score many goals, but we also need to respect Malaysia. We must concentrate fully and score the first goal.”
Ismail Ahmed, the Al Ain defender, said: “We’ve prepared for this match. It is very important for us, important for our future as we try to qualify for the World Cup in 2018.
“We have to depend on our capabilities and our abilities. We’re 100 per cent focused for the country to be part of Russia in four years’ time so we have to be positive and concentrated only for the next match, which is Malaysia.”
Malaysia’s coach, Dollah Salleh, said that, while it may represent an opportune time to play the UAE, given their past two performances, his side come into the tie with a number of injuries.
“It’s not easy to play against the UAE,” he said. “I consider them one of the best in Asia. But our mission is not to defend, we have come here to make sure we at least get a point.
“A draw is good enough for us. After losing to Palestine 6-0 I believe our players are looking forward to giving their very best for tomorrow’s game.
“We hear a lot about the UAE, especially Omar Abdulrahman, one of the best players in Asia. But we’re really prepared to stop him.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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