UAE Olympic team coach Skorza names 20-man squad for twin camps in Slovenia, Croatia

Dubai - The squad are preparing for the AFC Under-23 Championship to be held in Thailand in 2020

UAE Olympic team coach Maciej Skorza has named a 20-man squad for the twin camps in Slovenia and Croatia, as they prepare for the AFC Under-23 Championship to be held in 2020.
Four friendlies against Slovenian first division clubs, Croatia and Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb have been penciled in during their sojourn.
The first phase of the camp will be held from August 25 to September 4 in Slovenia. The UAE are set to play two friendlies during their stay.
The second camp takes place from September 4 to 10 in Croatia and the Whites will take on Croatia on September 5 and then play Dinamo Zagreb on September 8.
The UAE Olympic team are getting ready for the AFC Under-23 Championship to be played across four venues in Thailand from January 8 to 26 next year.
The UAE made the cut for the competition after topping Group D during the qualification tournament held in Saudi Arabia in March this year.
The UAE will come to know of their group and opponents when the draw is held in Bangkok on September 26. They are currently placed in Pot 4 along with Syria, Iran and Bahrain.
Pot 1 consists of hosts Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Qatar. Pot 2 has South Korea, Iraq, Japan and North Korea. China, Australia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia make up Pot 3.
The UAE's best showing in the competition is the twin quarterfinal appearances in 2013 and 2016. They failed to qualify for the tournament last year.
There will be extra incentive for the UAE with the top three teams going on to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The UAE's only appearance at the Olympics was in London 2012, where they exited the group stage despite some commendable performances, under Emirati coach Mahdi Ali.
The squad assembled in Dubai on Saturday and will fly out on Sunday evening.
SQUAD:
Khalid Mohammed Al Balushi, Saeed Juma Al Saadi, Falah Waleed Al Junaibi, Ali Eid Ghamil (Al Ain), Khalfan Hassan Khalfan Al Nubi, Ismail Khalid Al Ali, Abdul Aziz Salem Al Kaabi (Shabab Al Ahli), Mohammed Rashid Al Hammadi, Khalid Ibrahim Al Dhanhani, Tahnoon Hamdan Al Zaabi (Al Wahda), Jassim Yacoub, Saeed Ali Ibrahim (Al Nasr), Majid Rashid Sultan Al Mehrezi (Kalba), Khalid Abdul Rahman Al Balushi, Khalid Mohammed Al Attas Al Hashimi (Bani Yas), Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Rashid Salem Khalfan (Hatta), Abdullah Jassim Ali, Faris Khalil Al Marzouqi, Suhail Abdullah Al Mutawa.
Coach: Maciej Skorza.
james@khaleejtimes.com