Uzbekistan face UAE test at Asian qualifiers as Saudi meet Bahrain

Uzbekistan will have a great opportunity to boost their hopes of an inaugural appearance at the FIFA World Cup when they host the UAE in Group A of the AFC Asian qualifiers - Road to 26 Group A tie on Tuesday.

The Central Asian side lead the standings ahead of Iran on goal difference and victory against UAE will see them opening a six-point gap against Tuesday’s opponents.

Having dropped two points at home against Iran on Thursday means Uzbekistan have to win against UAE if they are to stay ahead in the race for the two automatic spots to the FIFA World Cup.

Vlado Radmanovic, standing in for indisposed head coach Srecko Katanec, felt his players had done well against Iran but will emphasise the need for Uzbekistan to get back on the winning trail against the UAE.

Head coach Paulo Bento did not hold back after his side’s 1-1 draw with North Korea on Thursday, with the Portuguese admitting UAE did not deserve to win against the East Asians.

Bento, who previously guided Portugal and South Korea to the global showpiece, will expect a reaction from his players despite Uzbekistan having the advantage of playing at home.

Saudi host Bahrain: The pressure is on for Roberto Mancini as he looks to navigate Saudi Arabia back to the winning trail when they meet Bahrain.

A full spectrum of results from their opening three matches sees Saudi Arabia level on four points with Australia with Bahrain with Indonesia only a point adrift.

The experienced Italian has a conundrum on his hands with the match sharpness of his players a big concern for the 2020 European Championship winning coach.

“Three years ago the situation was different,” said Mancini. “Maybe the players were playing more or were younger. We have to deal with the current situation.

“The only problem we have, three years ago all the Saudi players played every game. Today, 50, 60 percent don’t play in the game and this is the only problem that we have.”

A similar situation is faced by his counterpart Dragan Talajic, with his side needing a goal deep into stoppage time from Mohammed Marhoon to earn a 2-2 draw against Indonesia on Thursday.

The high of winning away against Australia in their opening match has well and truly dissipated after back-to-back home disappointments but the 59-year-old is hopeful his side will produce an improved performance in Jeddah.

“Every single point will be important,” he said. “We have lost five points, but I can only say that we will grow every single game, and we will try to be much better.”

Jordan aim to bounce back:Jordan will look to recover from their recent slump when they face Oman in Group B clash in Amman.

With four points from three games, Jordan sit third - three points behind joint leaders South Korea and Iraq following a 2-0 defeat to the East Asian side on Matchday Three.

Head coach Jamal Sellami pointed to the absence of key players Mousa Al Tamari and Yazan Al Naimat as reasons for the loss to South Korea.

“The circumstances of the match didn’t favour us, but I take responsibility for the result. We lacked strength with Al Taamari out, and although Al Naimat came on in the second half, we weren’t at our best. However, we will bounce back,” said Sellami.

Al Tamari remains unavailable for the Oman match as he is sidelined with injury.

Oman, who finally opened their account with a stunning 4-0 win over Kuwait on Thursday, will be aiming to ride on the momentum of that swashbuckling performance, although head coach Rashid Jaber cautioned his players against complacency.

“We must be careful not to be complacent, the road is still long and difficult in the Qualifiers. We will start preparing for the next match against Jordan.

“We must continue to work hard and enter every match with greater effort and higher confidence to impose our style of play on our competitors.”