UAE train ahead of Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi - in pictures

Alberto Zaccheroni's men kick off the continental competition in their Group A clash against Bahrain on Saturday

The UAE football team train ahead of the Asian Cup at New York University in Abu Dhabi. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

UAE manager Alberto Zaccheroni, centre right, talks to the players during their training session at New York University.

The UAE are the home team at the Asian Cup for the second time, with the continental tournament having previously been held here in 1996.

Zaccheroni, centre, is leading the UAE side to their biggest competition since he was appointed manager in October 2017.

The UAE are one of the best sides in Asia, having reached the semi-finals of the competition when it was last held in 2015 in Australia.

The UAE, though, received a huge setback after star player Omar Abdulrahman suffered a knee injury nearly three months ago.

The hosts have been drawn in Group A along with regional rivals Bahrain, India and Thailand.

Zaccheroni is a hugely experienced manager, having been in charge of such high-profile Serie A clubs as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus. The Italian has also coached Japan.

The UAE national football team trained at New York University in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night ahead of their Asian Cup opener against Bahrain on Saturday.

The hosts, who have been drawn with Bahrain, India and Thailand in Group A, are without their star man - the injured playmaker Omar Abdulrahman.

But they will have pleasant memories from the previous edition of the continental competition in Australia where they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by the home team and eventual champions.

You can check out staff photographer Pawan Singh's pictures of Alberto Zaccheroni's team training at NYUAD by browsing the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

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Groups:

GROUP A: UAE, Bahrain, India, Thailand

GROUP B: Australia, Syria, Jordan, Palestine

GROUP C: South Korea, China, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines

GROUP D: Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Yemen

GROUP E: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, North Korea

GROUP F: Japan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Turkmenistan