KUALA LUMPUR // Mahdi Ali sat in the Grand Blue Wave Hotel in Shah Alam, a 10-minute drive from where the UAE begin the long road to Russia, and stressed in public what he has continually told his players in private.
His side open their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign just outside the Malaysian capital on Tuesday, where they are expected to kick start Group A with victory against East Timor.
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At 146th in the Fifa rankings, Timor sit 73 places below the UAE and, in theory, should represent the least difficult opponents in a pool containing Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Malaysia.
East Timor contest the second round of qualifying for the first time in their abbreviated history, having beaten Mongolia in a two-legged play-off in March. They did prove troublesome enough in last Thursday’s match against Malaysia to snatch a point right at the death so Mahdi Ali, understandably, is keen to ensure the East Timorese are not underestimated.
“We saw many surprises in the first round of qualification. There are no big or small teams,” he said.
“Whoever prepares harder on the pitch and works the best will take the result. East Timor’s coach used to play in the UAE and they have players playing there at the moment, so they know a lot about us.”
Last week provided a surprise for the UAE, after they were easily swatted aside in their friendly against South Korea at the Shah Alam Stadium, Tuesday's venue.
The 3-0 defeat caused a certain amount of concern, although the coach insists it yielded some benefits, as well.
Arriving five months after their most recent match – January’s Asian Cup play-off against Iraq, which sealed bronze – and taking place days after the conclusion of a demanding domestic season, the match allowed the players to reacquaint with coach and colleagues. They also refocused for the test ahead.
“It was a friendly match and the result wasn’t important,” Mahdi Ali said. “This hasn’t been good timing for us because the game comes after the end of the league and many players finished late depending on how their clubs did in the President’s Cup.
“But we’ve managed to work around these problems and thankfully everyone is in good shape. All the players are ready.”
Even at this early stage, the stakes are high. The UAE have not qualified for the World Cup since their only appearance 25 years ago, when Mahdi Ali missed out on a place in the squad because he was injured the week before the team left for Italy. Predictably, that disappointment drives him now.
“Qualification is very important for us, especially as the UAE haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1990, so having a good start to this qualifying campaign is vital,” he said.
“It’s not only me, even the players, they’ve played in all competitions starting with youth to first team and for them it’s a dream. These players deserve to play in the World Cup because it’s the biggest competition in football.
“But we should not talk about this yet because we have an important match tomorrow and we have to focus on this game.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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