WWorld Cup Qualifying - Asia | Third Round

Oct 15, 2024 at 3pm UK

Milliy Stadion

Uzbekistan vs UAE

Match preview

After three matches in the third round of AFC qualifying, Uzbekistan have seven points and are currently top of Group A. They're level with second-placed Iran and three points ahead of third-placed United Arab Emirates, who are playing in Tashkent on Tuesday night.

The White Wolves did well, but they dropped points for the first time in this section on Thursday night. Utkir Yusupov and Alireza Beiranvand kept clean sheets at Milliy Stadion as Group A pacesetters Uzbekistan and Iran shared the hard-fought honours.

Thanks to Thursday night's draw, Uzbekistan have now gone over 16 months without losing a home match. Tuesday's hosts were last defeated in front of their own supporters in June 2023, when they lost a summer friendly to Iran.

Srecko Katanec took over as manager of the White Wolves in August 2021 and has enjoyed a lot of success since then. He's only lost seven of his 38 matches in charge, and he's aiming to help Uzbekistan qualify for the World Cup.

With North Korea and Kyrgyzstan yet to win a match in Group A, the United Arab Emirates are in a good position to secure a top-four finish. Tuesday's visitors to Uzbekistan have earned four points from their opening three matches across the third round of qualifying.

That said, Al Abyad probably felt like they missed out on a chance to win when the final whistle blew in Al Ain on Thursday night. Paulo Bento's team had to settle for a draw with North Korea, who were struggling, thanks to an 86th-minute equaliser from Jong Il-Gwan.

Although the UAE dominated possession last time out, they only managed to register one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. There's definitely room for improvement in the attacking areas as they make the daunting trip to Milliy Stadion on Tuesday night.

Al Abyad will be hoping to match their excellent performance and result from their last away game on 5 September. Goals from Harib Abdalla Suhail, Khaled Aldhanhani and Ali Saleh saw them come back from behind to win at the home of Asian Cup holders Qatar.

Recent Performance

Uzbekistan World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:WWDWWD

United Arab Emirates World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:WWDWLD

Injuries and suspensions

Uzbekistan

No sidelined players

United Arab

No sidelined players

Possible starting lineups

Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:

Yusupov; Alidzhanov, Alikulov, Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrulloev; Fayzullaev, Khamrobekov, Shukurov, Masharipov; Shomurodov

United Arab Emirates possible starting lineup:

Eisa; Aldhanhani, Al Hammadi, Autonne, Idrees; Hamad, Faiz, Al Zaabi; Suhail, Caio, Bruno