|
Dubai: The UAE soccer team are set to face South Korea on Wednesday in Seoul in a crucial World Cup qualifier.
Coach Dominique Bathanay had his final training session with the UAE players on Tuesday ahead of the game, which kicks-off at 11amGMT at the 60,000 capacity Seoul World Cup stadium.
The UAE arrived on Monday after holding a one-week training camp in Japan where they played a warm-up game against Japan that ended in a 1-1 draw.
The match will be the first competitive game incharge for coach French Dominique Bathanay, who took over after the resignation of his compatriot Bruno Metsu.
Bathanay had been Metsu's assistant for two years.
Strong team
The coach said South Korea were a strong team and would not be easy to beat at home.
He said: "We know many of their players, but we are going to focus just on our own team and how we are going to play.
"It looks as if two from South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia will qualify. We have struggled from the beginning but there is still a chance for us. It will be a tough match but we will fight for our lives until the end."
The UAE go into today's match in last place with no points after they lost their first two matches against North Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Clinching their first three points will be a tough task against the Koreans who have regularly made the World cup since 1986. The South Koreans prepared for today's match with a game against Uzbekistan, which they won 3-0 with Lee Keun-ho bagging two goals and Ki Sung-Yung scoring one.
Ki scored in his side's first qualifier against neighbours North Korea which finished in a 1-1 draw.
He said: "It has also made me greedy for more and I am looking for a third consecutive goal against UAE. It will not be an easy game for us, but we are capable of getting a good result."
The UAE strike force is expected to be led by Esmail Mattar along with Esmail Al Hammady. Striker Faisal Khalil was not selected for today's match.
|
