The UAE will be aiming for their second consecutive victory in the third round of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers when they take on Group A rivals Iran on Tuesday. Following their impressive 3-1 comeback win against Qatar in their opening match in Doha last Thursday, the UAE will enter the clash against Iran at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain with high confidence. Iran, on the other hand, secured a narrow 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan in their first match on Thursday.
The UAE's victory over Qatar was their first against their West Asian rivals since 2015, and they celebrated it with great jubilation. The win was sealed with three second-half goals, demonstrating the team's ability to adapt under different circumstances, as showcased by head coach Paulo Bento's tactics. Bento, who led South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, will be expecting a similar performance from his team against Iran.
Iran, aiming for their fourth consecutive and seventh overall appearance in the Fifa World Cup, managed to secure the points against Kyrgyzstan, but head coach Amir Ghalenoei acknowledged the need for an improved performance against the UAE. Iran holds a favorable record against the UAE, having lost only once in their previous meetings, with their most recent encounter at the 2023 Asian Cup ending in a 2-1 victory for Iran.
Asia has eight direct slots for the upcoming 48-team Fifa World Cup. The eighteen teams in the third round of the Asian qualifiers have been divided into three groups of six each. The UAE is in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will compete in the fourth round of qualifiers.
The UAE has not qualified for the World Cup since their debut in 1990. Meanwhile, Bahrain and Japan will be vying for early control of Group C when they meet at Bahrain National Stadium on Tuesday. Both teams secured opening round wins on Thursday, with Bahrain stunning Australia 1-0 and Japan dominating China 7-0. Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu will likely maintain his starting lineup after the impressive performance against China, but he will caution his players against underestimating Bahrain.
Kuwait will face a challenging task when they meet Iraq in a Group B tie on Tuesday. Kuwait secured a crucial 1-1 draw against Jordan, while Iraq edged Oman 1-0 on Thursday. Kuwait will need to capitalize on their home ground advantage to stop Iraq, who are on a high after their opening victory. Iraq's head coach Jesus Casas may be without goal-scorer Ayman Hussein due to injury, which could impact their offensive strategy.
