Qatar and United Arab Emirates are set to come together in the first game of Group A in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday.
The hosts topped their second-round group to reach this stage of qualifiers, while the visitors also placed top of their group in the second round.
Match preview
Qatar have enjoyed a phenomenal few years in the footballing world, from winning back-to-back AFC Asian Cups in 2019 and 2023 to competing in the World Cup for the first time when they hosted the competition in 2022.
Despite having that success, they disappointingly became the worst-ever host nation at a World Cup tournament as they crashed out of the group stage after just two matches.
That result led to a poor run of form in the following competitions for Qatar, winning just four of their next 14 matches across all competitions, but they have improved in recent times.
Matchday one of the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup saw Qatar beat Afghanistan 8-1, and that victory has led to a run of just one defeat in 15 matches heading into this one.
Tintin Marquez will be aiming to extend Qatar's impressive form and secure a top-two finish in Group A of the third round of Asian qualifiers, as he seeks to guarantee their direct qualification for a second consecutive World Cup.
Qatar will face a challenging test against UAE, who also topped their group in the second round of Asian qualifiers after picking up five wins and one draw from six fixtures.
Since taking over in July 2023, Paulo Bento has significantly improved the UAE team, transforming them from a side with just three wins in their previous 12 matches to achieving 10 wins and only three losses in his 15 games as manager.
Bento will be hoping his side can continue that run of results in the third round of Asian qualifiers as he looks to secure UAE's place in a second-ever World Cup tournament, last qualifying in 1990.
The visitors have been outclassed in this fixture in recent years though, losing three of the last four meetings with an aggregate score of 14-3 to Qatar.
Team News
Almoez Ali and Akram Afif have been two of Qatar's top-performing players in recent years, and both of their star attackers are expected to start against UAE.
Talented 21-year-old striker Tameem Mansour could join those two more experienced players in the attack against UAE, playing alongside Ali up front with Afif playing slightly behind.
As for UAE, a strong run of results in recent matches could see Bento opt to name a similar side to the one that drew against Bahrain to ensure they placed top of their second-round Asian qualifiers group.
Sultan Adil has been a key player in attacking areas for the UAE, and he is likely to partner Fabio Lima and Ali Saleh in attack on Thursday.
Qatar possible starting lineup:
Barsham; Mohammed, Salman, Mendes, Ahmed; Abdulsallam, Fathy, Al-Ahrak; Afif; Mansour, Ali
United Arab Emirates possible starting lineup:
Eisa; Idrees, Abaelaziz, Al Attas, Ahmed; Faiz, Rashid; Lima, Alzaabi, Saleh; Adil
We say: Qatar 3-1 United Arab Emirates
Qatar have comfortably defeated the UAE in three of their last four meetings across all competitions, and we expect this game to follow that trend with a significant victory for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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