AL AIN // Walid Abbas has described Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Iraq as “like a final” as the UAE look to get back on track their quest to reach a second global finals.
Mahdi Ali’s side host a resurgent Iraq at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium knowing anything less than a victory would represent a serious dent to their aspirations of making Russia 2018.
The UAE currently sit fourth in Group B after four matches, two points off Australia in second place – the final automatic spot for the World Cup. Tuesday’s match against fifth-placed Iraq has already been deemed a must-win, especially following last month’s hugely damaging defeat to group leaders Saudi Arabia in Jeddah. The Saudis top the standings on 10 points, with the UAE on six.
Seeking to return to the starting line-up after last week’s goalscoring return in the friendly win against Bahrain, Abbas said his team need to bounce back from the Saudi disappointment if they are to maintain realistic hopes of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
“All teams they want to win,” the left-back said. “We lost a game, but we still have six games to play. It was hard for us to lose 3-0, especially in Saudi Arabia.
“For us, Iraq is like a final. We have to work hard for that game and we hope to win. We hope to be better. We need to win.”
The Saudi defeat was particularly painful, given the manner of the loss and its subsequent fallout. The reverse increased the strain on manager Mahdi Ali, who was heavily criticised for the tactics employed.
Abbas is therefore well aware of the importance of the Iraq encounter, saying he and his teammates recognise exactly what is expected this week.
“It is not like pressure, you know?” he said. “When you need to win it is already a pressure, it is not like someone is pushing you and forcing you to win. It is a pressure for us to play the game. But we hope to win and we have to be better.”
Iraq constitute dangerous opponents, though. At 113th in Fifa’s world rankings, they stand 43 places below the UAE, however they lost only narrowly to Saudi and Japan in this third and final qualification stage for the World Cup before registering a comprehensive 4-0 victory against Thailand last time out.
They also have a number of their squad plying their trade outside the Gulf, principally Ali Adnan, the left-back currently at Serie A side Udinese. Meanwhile, in Al Nasr’s Mohannad Abdulraheem and Ahmed Ibrahim, the defender at Emirates club, they possess players employed at present by clubs in the Arabian Gulf League.
Abbas, who hopes his performance against Bahrain will convince Mahdi Ali to hand him a starting role, insists the UAE will not underestimate the challenge posed by Iraq.
“Of course they are dangerous,” he said. “They still have a chance to qualify – it will not be an easy game. Even some of their players play in Europe and they have experience.
“It is going to be a tough game for us. But we have to win, we don’t have a choice.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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Jawan
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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SPECS
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
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Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
SQUADS
India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur
New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult