Veteran Matar back in training

Dubai - Head coach Mahdi Ali frets over Ali Mabkhout's fitness ahead of qualifiers

As the UAE fret on the fitness of their striker Ali Ahmed Mabkhout, coach Mahdi Ali will be buoyed by the news that veteran forward Ismail Matar has reported fit and is back in training.
The Whites have a crucial week ahead of them on their road to Russia 2018 with twin FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Palestine and Saudi Arabia. The UAE play host to Palestine at their fortress-the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday night after which they welcome Saudi Arabia next Tuesday.
The UAE will debut their new home kit against Palestine but Ali Mabkhout will not be on hand to kit up as the Al Jazira frontman is still recuperating from injury. The 25-year-old, winner of the Golden Boot at the AFC Asian Cup in Australia, tore his hamstring during Al Jazira's 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the AFC Champions League. Ali Mabkhout played 70 minutes of that fixture but was ruled out of UAE's international football friendly against Bangladesh, which the hosts won 6-1.
Mabkhout jetted to Serbia to receive treatment before returning to the UAE Capital late on Monday night. He is being closely monitored by the team's medical staff and depending on how Ali Mabkhout shapes up in the coming days, they and the team's technical staff will take a call on him featuring against Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Ismail Matar, who was called up by Mahdi Ali, has resumed training after recovering from a minor niggle. Other than Ali Mabkhout, there are no other injury concerns.
Despite Ali Mabkhout's absence, Mahdi Ali still has enough fire power with the likes of Ahmed Khalil, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ismail Matar, Ahmed Ali and Salem Saleh in the squad.
Al Nasr's Salem Saleh was called up as cover for Ali Mabkhout and fired a brace in the UAE's win over Bangladesh.
The UAE need to win against Palestine and Saudi Arabia to move into the final stage of the qualifying round. Winners from the eight groups as well as the four best second-placed teams progress to the next stage. The UAE are currently second, three points behind the Saudis.
Meanwhile, Yousuf Serkal, President of the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) urged the team to increase their focus as they prepare for a crucial week.
"The team has gone beyond many difficult stages and have come up with some great achievements along the way. I'm confident that they realise the importance of this stage and how crucial it is for Emirati football.
"I'm confident that they will win against Palestine. And I call on all the fans to come and support the team," said Serkal.
The UAE were held to a goalless draw in the first leg held at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in the West Bank, in September last year. The UAE's last qualifier was a 2-1 win away against Malaysia in November last year.
james@khaleejtimes.com