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India's under-23 football team takes on hosts the United Arab Emirates in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers. The match will take place on Wednesday, 27 October at the Fujairah Stadium in Fujairah. Already on a high after a sensational 2-1 win over Oman in their opening game, the Indian colts will be looking to continue the momentum.
Needless to say, it will not be an easy ask against a strong UAE side. They lost their first match to Kyrgyzstan and would be raring to get back to winning ways.
Here's all you need to know about the United Arab Emirates under-23 football team and what Indian fans can expect from the clash.
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UAE U-23 rank in Asia, recent form and results
The UAE U-23 team was placed in Pot 1 in the draw for these U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers. So on paper, they are the best team in our group. UAE are ranked 7th in Asia on the basis of their performance at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship, where they reached the quarter final.
On the other hand, India are ranked 27th but have already beaten 17th ranked Oman on Sunday.
The UAE side started their preparatory camp almost a month ago. They also took part in the WAFF U-23 Championship held earlier this month, a tournament for West Asian nations.
However, the young guns of UAE failed to progress past the group stages. After winning the opening match 3-0 over Lebanon, they suffered back-to-back defeats against Iraq and Palestine to eventually finish third in the group.
The Emiratis' start to the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers has also been disappointing. An unfancied Kyrgyzstan side came from behind to beat them 2-1 on Sunday evening. The hosts started off on the front foot and pegged Kyrgyzstan back in their own half in the first 45 minutes. They finally got their reward when Khalid Al-Balochi opened the scoring in first half injury time.
However, Kyrgyzstan held their own in the second half and ultimately responded with an equalizer in the 77th minute via a free kick. The Kyrgyz then dealt a late blow with an 88th minute winner and snatched all three points.
This opening day loss has put the UAE in a must-win situation for the match against India.
Head-to-head: India U-23 vs UAE U-23
India and UAE have met twice at U-23 level.
The first meeting was a 1-1 draw in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers, with Romeo Fernandes scoring a late equalizer for India.
Then in the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, UAE thrashed India 5-0, which included a Sandesh Jhingan own goal.
UAE U-23 style of play, coach, key players
Similar to their senior counterparts, the UAE U-23s are also a possession-based outfit. They utilize wide areas efficiently and are capable of delivering dangerous crosses inside the box.
Spaniard Denis Silva is the UAE U-23 head coach.
The 39-year-old has previously managed the youth teams (U-18 and U-19) of FC Barcelona.
Left winger Ali Saleh is the UAE's most dangerous player. The Al-Wasl forward has already been capped 10 times for the senior team and has scored two goals as well.
Apart from him, midfielder Majid Rashid and winger Hareb Abdullah have also been called up to the senior squad previously but haven't made an appearance yet. Full backs Ahmed Abdulla and Yousif Al-Mheiri are key on the flanks going forward. Midfielder Khalid Al-Balochi doesn't miss an opportunity to invade the box, as he displayed in his goal against Kyrgyzstan.
The weakness of this UAE side is its defensive solidity. They have kept only one clean sheet in eight matches this year, conceding 14 goals. Against Kyrgyzstan as well, the hosts were prone to leaving space behind after going a goal up.
Igor Štimac's young forwards must look to trouble the vulnerable UAE backline just like Kyrgyzstan did. Nevertheless, the biggest ask for India will be to keep this menacing Emirati attack at bay.
