Qatar vs UAE Prediction and Betting Tips | 21st December 2024

Qatar and the UAE clash at the Sulaibikhat Stadium in Kuwait City for their opening game in the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, just a month after their last encounter. The Gulf neighbors met as recently as 19 November for their fixture in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, when the UAE clinically demolished their rivals 5-0.

Prolific forward Fabio Lima netted four times in the game, including two penalties, while Yahya Al-Ghassani also pulled one back for the Sons of Zayed.

It was their second victory in a row, and they now enter the cup full of confidence. Ranked 63rd in the world, the Emirates are making their 25th appearance in the competition and have won it twice, most recently in 2013.

Head coach Paulo Bento has summoned 26 players for their campaign, including Lima, who will be hungry to go to Qatar once again. Experienced goalkeepers Khalid Eisa and Ali Khasif have both been summoned.

Meanwhile, two-time defending Asian champions Qatar have struggled for consistency in the latter half of 2024 following a good run earlier on. The Maroons went their first four games unbeaten, winning three, but have since won just two in six.

It marked a significant drop in form for the side, who have big ambitions of picking up another trophy. Prolific forward Almoez Ali will once again be the single biggest threat coming from Qatar, having struck 59 times from 118 games. He will be supported up front by another key forward, Akram Afif.

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Qatar vs UAE Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• There have been 33 clashes between the sides in history, with Qatar winning 14 times in the fixture and losing 12.
• After winning three games in a row, the Maroons have failed to win their next three, losing two, including a 5-0 drubbing last month.
• Having won the fixture in their last two attempts, the UAE are aiming to make it a hat-trick of wins for the first time since a run of three between August 2011 and January 2015.
• The Sons of Zayed have won their last two official games, netting eight goals and conceding none.

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Qatar vs UAE Prediction

The Sons of Zayed will be confident of their chances after crushing the Maroons 5-0 in their last encounter, just five weeks ago. The latter will be more careful this time around, tightening up their defense and looking to create more chances, but the UAE still hold the edge here, given their bright run of form lately.

Prediction: Qatar 2-3 UAE

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Qatar vs UAE Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: UAE to win

Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes