The United Arab Emirates were thought to be on the rise as recently as 2009, but a last-place finish in the fourth round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and in the group stage of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup has left the team's confidence in pieces. Ismail Matar, a past youth World Cup golden ball winner, has finally secured a place overseas playing for Seoul FC, and will be looking to steer his mates in the right direction. UAE are coming into the match on a high, having won their most recently friendly against Lebanon 6-2, a match now made famous by the backheel penalty scored by Awana Diab, seen by some as a sign of disrespect. I prefer to see it as an expression of creativity and joy for the game. Diab was disciplined for his goal, so it will be interesting to see if he plays a part in this aggregate-goals series with India.India, the 2011 Cricket World Cup winners, are looking to build off their 2008 AFC Challenge Cup championship and their long-awaited appearance at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, their first in 27 years. India can even point to a recent 2-1 friendly win in Doha against Qatar, ranked 23 places ahead of the United Arab Emirates, on 17 July 2011. India had chosen to play at Qatar in order to acclimatize to the Gulf weather. If star keeper Subrata Pal can stop enough shots in goal, perhaps the offense of striker Sunil Chhetri (pictured) and the great service of midfielder Steven Dias could spell upset victory for India. With plenty of Indian expatriates populating the crowd in UAE, the first match might feel like a neutral site.
India have a new coach since their AFC Asian Cup appearance. In Armando Colaco's only two matches with the team, India tied 1-1 at Maldives before getting their famous 2-1 win at Qatar. "These boys are really playing well. This is not the same team you saw in the Asian Cup. There is a lot of difference. They like to keep the ball, they like to press, and they like to finish." Colaco believes that within the decade, India will have evolved into true contenders, but that does not stop his team from dreaming of winning against UAE.
His counterpart for UAE, Srecko Katanec has also noticed the improvement in India, but he believes his team will advance if they focus on eliminating the careless errors that allowed Lebanon to score twice in their recent friendly. "Even before the India-Qatar match we knew that our match against them will not be an easy task... My assistant watched the match in Doha and we already know what we wanted to about the team's players and their style and I have great confidence in my players to win promotion to the second round of the qualifiers."
This is by far the most anticipated matchup of the AFC Second Round. Both teams will feel they deserved an easier second round draw, but both will accept this great challenge before them. Remember that in the team's more recent meeting in November 2010, UAE defeated India 5-0. However, the two sides did trade matching 1-0 home victories during 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Look for UAE to win the series and advance to the third round, but do not be surprised by an upset.
AFC Injury report:
The aforementioned Ismail Matar is unavailable for the first leg and potentially for the entire series against India. This certainly reads as an unexpected advantage for underdogs India. To compound matters, captain Subait Khater, goalkeeper Majid Nasser, and winger Abdulla Mosa are all going to be missing in action for the United Arab Emirates as well.
Wahyu Wiji Astanto and Tony Sucipto will miss Indonesia's first leg qualifier at Turkmenistan because their FA lost their passports and were unable to secure replacement visas for the two players in time.
Thailand have been hit hard by the injury bug coming into their series with Palestine, including by a couple of injuries in training. Nattaphong Samana and Rangsan Vivatchaichok were both bitten by the bug in training. Samana's injury is particularly troublesome considering that he had been penciled in as the replacement at left back for injured Anucha Kitpongsri. Perhaps the most disappointing absence for Thailand will be star striker Sarayoot Chaikamdee. Thailand hope some of their injured players may be healthy enough come match time to contribute.
Previews:
http://www.the-aiff.com/pages/news/index.php?N_Id=2658 (India roster)
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