Mahdi Ali gave his squad a clean bill of health on Saturday night and delivered the news that every Emirati football fan wanted to hear – Omar Abdulrahman is fit for the UAE’s Asian Cup opener against Qatar.
- The Kickabout podcast: Asian Cup edition – Episode 10
He would not, however, be drawn on whether or not the Al Ain midfielder will be in the starting 11 after a long lay-off due to injury.
“We have no injured players. All the players are ready,” Mahdi Ali said. “Omar Abdulrahman is ready if called upon, and his participation is possible.”
Mahdi Ali also downplayed the regional rivalry that comes with meetings against Qatar.
“For us it’s still one game, a very important game for which we have prepared well during our training camp in the Gold Coast,” he said. “It’s important because it’s the first in the group, so it holds the key to the team’s progress to the second round.
“All the matches between Gulf teams are like derbies and have a lot of passion. We hope it’s a match worthy of Gulf football.”
The two teams have met three times before in this competition, with Qatar winning in 1984 and 1988 and the UAE winning in 2007.
“Personally, I believe only in the performances on the pitch, I don’t rely on things that happened in the past,” Mahdi Ali said. “The situations are different, the team is different, the tournament is different, the players are different, the coach is different, so it’s not possible to read too much into these things, especially as the standard of all the Gulf teams are very similar.”
The UAE coach said he does think that more is expected of his team in this tournament than in the past.
“It’s true the UAE have for a long time been far from challenging for the Asian title, but the team’s situation now is completely different to how it was before,” he said. “I think the team has been doing very well for the past two or three years. We have a young generation of talented players that has delivered excellent results.
“We said three years ago that our main aim is to get to the semi-finals, but the most important thing for us now is to focus on the first match against Qatar.”
Al Jazira forward Ali Mabkhout said he hopes a scoring spree at the Asian Cup could help him earn a big-money move to a Europen club.
Mabkhout was in scintillating form at November’s Gulf Cup of Nations, finishing as the top scorer with five goals. He also was joint-top scorer during Asian Cup qualification with Iran’s Reza Ghoochannejhad, again scoring five to help the UAE reach the tournament in Australia with ease.
“Being a top scorer makes me even more determined and motivated to do my best in this competition,” said Mabkhout, 24.
“If I have the chance to play in Europe it would be great for me, but I leave it up the decision of the clubs.”
Mahdi Ali said some of his charges are destined to compete at a higher level.
“We have many talented players who deserve to play in Europe,” he said. “I would be very happy if some of my players played there as it would give them more and better experience which they could bring to their country.”
Related content:
- UAE football squad train in the rain ahead of Asian Cup - in pictures
- Meet the men in white: Individual analysis of every player on the UAE Asian Cup squad
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
