The Whites to meet Timor Leste in World Cup qualifier

Abu Dhabi - The UAE, though, will be without their talisman Omar Abdulrahman and Khamis Ismail.

The UAE's Russian dream is still in play. Palestine's goalless draw against Saudi Arabia in Jordan on Monday meant the door has been left ajar for the Whites on the road to Russia 2018.
The UAE host Timor Leste in their fifth match of the World Cup qualifiers and a victory at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday night will eat into the gap between them and Group A toppers Saudi Arabia.
And if all goes well against Malaysia in five days time and later in their twin home fixtures against Palestine and Saudi Arabia in March next year, the Whites will be booking direct tickets to Moscow.
The UAE, with two wins, a draw and a loss, trail Saudi Arabia by six points. They currently sit second on seven points, while Saudi Arabia are on 13 points. Palestine are a point adrift of the UAE.
A 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia had left the UAE with all the work to do. But with the impressive Palestine managing to deny Saudi Arabia in Amman, in what was effectively their home fixture, it is still all to play for.
But coach Mahdi Ali, who has plotted the UAE's rise over the years, is not getting too carried away by it.
"I have said this before, regardless of the result from the Saudi Arabia versus the Palestine game, we want to win the next four games. Of course, that result provides us a little advantage but our strategy hasn't changed," Mahdi Ali said on the eve of the game on Wednesday.
"At the moment, we are not looking beyond our match against Timor Leste. We are not worried about what the other team does and their strategies but we will play to our strengths. It doesn't matter whom we play but it's an important game for us, in fact all the second leg games. For the time being, our focus will only be on the next match we are going to play," he added.
The UAE, though, will be without their talisman Omar Abdulrahman and Khamis Ismail. The ace Al Ain playmaker, who scored the winner in the first leg against Timor Leste, is serving a suspension for two bookings, while Al Jazira midfielder Khamis Ismail is out injured.
And Timor Leste coach Fernando Alcantara was surprised that Omar will miss the game.
"This information is good news for us. But I also have seven players absent. We have brought in some new young players. My objective is to play a good game and use this game to provide experience to my players," said Alcantara.
"We are going to see a nice match. The UAE will be looking for a win, as they are the stronger team. My plan is very simple. When we don't have possession all our players will fall back in defence. The reason is that the UAE are strong opponents while we are going to experiment," he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com