Tuesday cover: Emotions – and anticipation – high for UAE v Palestine

The National's Sport cover for the Tuesday, September 8 issue, featuring the evening's UAE v Palestine 2018 World Cup qualifying match to be played in the West Bank.

The match will be the first competitve international played in the West Bank, and comes as a crucial harbinger of whether the UAE will advance comfortably into the next qualifying group for Russia 2018 or make it a nervy few months ahead.

Previewing the match, John McAuley writes:

“The UAE and Saudi Arabia were supposed to contest top spot in a pool containing Malaysia, East Timor and Palestine, but thus far the latter side have performed above expectations, with three points from their opening two fixtures.

“Pitted against the UAE in this dual-qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup, Palestine go into their match with the Emiratis on Tuesday night focused on twin targets: victory takes them level with Mahdi Ali’s men, while the Ramallah encounter represents Palestine’s first competitive test in their homeland in four years.

“It is also the first time they host an Arab opponent. A momentous match could therefore have major repercussions.”

Ali Khaled also writes of the uncertainty facing Mahdi Ali's men in this contest: "Mahdi Ali does not like uncertainty.

“The UAE coach’s preparations often border on the obsessive; every detail is meticulously covered by his technical team, with nothing left to chance.

“On Tuesday night against Palestine at the Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium in Al Ram, West Bank, he will take uncertain steps. A rapidly-improving, dynamic opponent he has never faced before; an artificial pitch; and a passionate, partisan home crowd.

“The UAE will experience a 21,000-strong crowd and an atmosphere they have likely never faced against an Arab team.”

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