Confident UAE face formidable Iran in FIFA WC Asian Qualifier

The UAE and the Islamic Republic of Iran are set for a blockbuster when they face off in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers -- Road to 26 on Tuesday.

UAE produced an amazing fightback to defeat Qatar 3-1 while Iran displayed resilience to see off the challenge of Kyrgyz Republic, winning their opening tie 1-0 on Thursday.

UAE jubilantly celebrated their victory against Qatar and they had every right to do as it was their first win against their West Asian rivals since 2015.

Victory was achieved with three second half goals as head coach Paulo Bento’s side showed they have the ability to respond to different situations.

Bento, who guided Korea Republic to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, will expect a similar performance against Iran.

“We are not geniuses when we turn around a result like that. We are not failures when we lose the game either. We are simple people who try to win in football. We try to bring the players the best possible tools to win a game,” said Bento.

Iran, seeking a fourth consecutive appearance the FIFA World Cup and seventh overall, did just enough to get the points against Kyrgyz Republic with head coach Amir Ghalenoei admitting he expects to see an improved performance against UAE.

“We could have scored five or six but our offensive substitutions didn’t quite work out. We will try to show better quality in the next game.” Iran will head into the clash with the statistics very much in their favour, having only lost once to UAE with their most recent meeting at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 ending 2-1 in their favour.

Meanwhile, Kuwait will have their work cut out for them when they meet a buoyant Iraq in their AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 2026 Group B tie on Tuesday.

Kuwait secured a crucial point in a 1-1 draw against Jordan, while Iraq edged Oman 1-0 on Thursday.

Kuwait fell behind after 14 minutes to Moussa Al Tamari’s opener but took advantage of the France-based striker’s injury in the second half with Al Sulaiman equalising from the spot two minutes into time added on.

While the draw was a morale booster, head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi knows his team will need to work harder against Iraq at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium as Kuwait bid to seal a place in the FIFA World Cup for the second time in their history.

With Iraq on a high after opening their campaign with a victory, Kuwait will have to maximise home ground advantage to stop their West Asian rivals at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium.

It will be the teams’ first competitive meeting in a decade but Kuwait lost their two most recent encounters against their West Asian rival - going down 2-1 and 1-0 in international friendlies.

There was, however, a blow for Iraq in their opener with head coach Jesus Casas likely to be without goalscorer Ayman Hussein, who required hospitalisation after suffering an injury against Oman while fatigue might also be an issue.

“We have four days left before the match against Kuwait and they are not enough to help the players with the physical factor, but we have 26 players and alternatives to compensate for those who are exhausted,” said Casas, who is looking to steer Iraq to the FIFA World Cup Finals for only the second time.

In the possible absence of Hussein, the Spanish tactician will have to rely on forward Mohanad Ali while Ali Jasim is another outlet for goals.

Bahrain and Japan will aim to gain early control of Group C of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 when they meet at Bahrain National Stadium on Tuesday.

Both recorded opening round wins on Thursday, Bahrain stunning Australia 1-0 while Japan were magnificent in a 7-0 victory against China PR.

While Dragan Talajic guided Bahrain to a historic first-ever win against Australia, the West Asian side have defeated Japan twice in 13 previous meetings.

Grit and determination played a pivotal role in Thursday’s win and Talajic warned that Bahrain will need to show more of that if FIFA World Cup qualification is to be secured for the first time.

“We have to forget it (win against Australia) and move on.