Is Ahmed Khalil fit?
Scorer of both goals in last September's shock 2-1 victory in Saitama, captain that famous night, 2015 Asian player of the year and the most prolific forward in all of this World Cup qualification with 15 goals.
No wonder Ahmed Khalil has adopted heroic qualities for the UAE, one of the continent’s most-feared strikers on the international scene.
Japan know that only too well. A fierce free kick and an ice-cool penalty did it in the first match of this final phase of qualification and, should the UAE record a repeat, their chances are considerably greater with Khalil involved.
Yet the Al Ahli frontman is a serious doubt, pitted in a race against time to prove his fitness for tomorrow. Khalil is carrying an injury and has not played since February 20.
Granted, the UAE can point to Ali Mabkhout, the 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League’s leading scorer, as enough to fill the void.
However, they are much, much stronger with the two in tandem.
Can Omar Abdulrahman channel club hurt?
Al Ain’s captain sunk to the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium turf late last November, then the tears came.
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Road to Russia
■ Fixtures, results and more on the UAE's qualifying bid
■ Ismail Ahmed urges UAE to forget win in Japan
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Omar Abdulrahman had been the 2016 Asian Champions League’s standout star, guiding his club to the brink of a second continental crown. But South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors drew that second leg to prevail 3-2 on aggregate.
Abdulrahman’s dream had ended for another year, and upon his coronation as Asia’s player of the year a few weeks later, he spoke again of trading the individual award for Asia’s leading club crown.
The playmaker has responded well with Al Ain since, but he can use that lingering disappointment with club as motivation for country.
In September, Abdulrahman was quiet for the majority of the match against Japan, before coming to life towards the conclusion as the UAE sought to hold on for a win. The team’s heartbeat, he must overcome Japan’s particular intent on shackling him.
If Abdulrahman sparkles, the UAE usually shine too.
Who will make up midfield?
Amer Abdulrahman withdrew from the squad late on Sunday, robbing manager Mahdi Ali of yet another central midfielder.
Majed Hassan, a long-term absentee with the national team, had already been ruled out, another knee injury with Al Ahli deemed to need another surgery. Tariq Ahmed, Al Nasr’s terrier, is suspended.
With everyone fit, the UAE’s midfield is a real strength, offering grit and guile. With numbers depleted, it provides an unwanted conundrum.
Admittedly, Abdulrahman has fallen from favour since his form dipped at Al Ain, but he is an experienced head who began the corresponding fixture in Saitama.
Khamis Email, a robust and resolute midfielder, played alongside him that night, but struggled against Japan’s nimble midfield. Undoubtedly talented, he appears suited more to the physical battle expected in next week’s encounter against Australia. Esmail will most likely have Ahli teammate Habib Fardan beside him tomorrow, although the latter has previously struggled on the grand stage.
Suddenly, central midfield throws up more questions than answers.
Can the defence hold out for a third time?
First the 2015 Asian Cup, then Saitama in September. The UAE defeated Japan in consecutive matches, dispatching the Asian heavyweights in the quarter-finals of the continent’s premier competition, initially via a penalty shoot-out, then that 2-1 victory on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Each time, they displayed remarkable resolve, each time withstanding sustained Japanese pressure to clinch a famous win. Both required a huge collective effort, although both were underpinned by a superb partnership in central defence.
Ismail Ahmed and Mohanad Salem, colleagues for Al Ain as well, led the resistance, marshalling their teammates and throwing themselves in front of shots and of opponents.
Of course, Japan were robbed of a legitimate equaliser in Saitama, when Takuma Asano’s effort crossed the goalline before Khalid Essa pushed it away.
But the UAE will feel they deserved their luck, that their doggedness and their determination in the face of Japan’s onslaught merited them holding on for victory.
Whether they can do it for a third successive clash is debatable, especially with Ahmed a fitness concern. No matter what, tomorrow demands another colossal effort.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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