UAE- Another goal glut looks likely against Malaysia

Date

11/17/2015 6:03:46 PM

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Three more stand in the way in the UAE's mission of qualifying for the Russia 2018 and one of them comes up in the tropical country of Malaysia on the morrow.

The Whites take on Malaysia in a Group A fixture of the World Cup Qualifier and it should more or less be a breeze for Mahdi Ali's men in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. What remains to be seen is how many goals the UAE can ship against the Harimau Malaya.

That prediction is not unfounded as when they two teams met last time out in September the Whites put on a 10 on 10 performance by bludgeoning 10 goals at their fortress - the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

In the immediate aftermath coach Dollah Salleh resigned and Malaysia are now left with caretaker coach Ong Kim Swee as they build towards the next cycle.

If anything Malaysia can only harbour thoughts of damage limitation against the Whites. Such has been the UAE's form that they come in red-hot after an 8-0 demolition of Timor-Leste.

And that victory came without their talisman playmaker Omar Abdulrahman who was suspended. Omar is back from suspension which spells more danger for the Malaysians.

The UAE's true tests will come later down the line against Palestine and heavyweights Saudi Arabia but the Whites are focusing on the here and now.

And Mahdi Ali said that they deserve to feature in the World Cup for only the second time in their history.

"Everyone here is eager to play in the World Cup ... we deserve to be there. I know these players very well. They will not buckle under pressure. Everyone knows their role in achieving our dreams" said Mahdi Ali.

Meanwhile Mahdi Ali's counterpart Ong Kim Swee said that the game against the UAE will provide them another opportunity as they undergo a transition.

"We need a short-term and long-term plan. I don't agree in disbanding the team. We need to keep playing international football because the exposure provides experience" said Ong. "We need a transition period where new young players are gradually introduced into the team. We have to be realistic in what we want to achieve next year. You can't expect immediate results" he added.

The Malaysians will quite literally be alone at the Shah Alam Stadium as the game will be played behind closed doors because of a stadium ban handed out for crowd trouble in their fixture against Saudi Arabia.

Malaysia tried to replicate that atmosphere during training on Sunday but were locked out at the last minute and their training shifted to another ground.

The UAE though are making sure that they have all their bases covered if matters come down to goal difference. Three points adrift of leaders Saudi Arabia the Whites have hammered 20 goals and have leaked only two for a goal difference of 18.

They are six ahead of Saudi Arabia and seven ahead of third-placed Palestine in what is turning out to be a three-way tussle in the group.

So another goal glut looks likely.

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.